Greece Enters ESMA MiCA Register With Four Providers as HCMC Denies Binance Claim
Four Greek crypto-asset service providers appear on the ESMA MiCA register while the Hellenic Capital Market Commission denies a reported link between Binance and ECB chief Christine Lagarde.
Why it matters
Greece now has four authorised providers, giving crypto firms a further entry point into the EU single market, and the licences carry different service permissions rather than blanket regional reach. Whether the reported Lagarde intervention shaped a Greek licensing decision is unresolved and rests on a single outlet's account of the Wall Street Journal.
Where the sources disagree
The content of the Binance remarks denied by HCMC
HCMC denied that its officials made the comments attributed to them, after a report that Lagarde intervened to block the application
Cointelegraph
Neither report detailed the exact content of the claim being denied
Bitcoin Insider
Cointelegraph describes the denial as covering comments attributed to HCMC officials in a Wall Street Journal report, while Bitcoin Insider said neither Cointelegraph nor CryptoBriefing detailed the exact content of the claim being denied.
Size of the ESMA register update
Six providers from Germany, France and Slovenia were added, bringing the register to 359 unique providers
Cointelegraph
The broader ESMA update added 10
TheNewsCrypto
Cointelegraph reported six providers from Germany, France and Slovenia were added, while TheNewsCrypto said the broader update added 10.
Key facts
Four Greek crypto-asset service providers appear on the ESMA MiCA register with Greece as their home member state.
Reported by Cointelegraph
The four Greek providers listed are BCASH, Xenios Blockchain Group, Capital Wallet Greece and Piraeus Bank.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Six providers from Germany, France and Slovenia were added in the same update, bringing the register to 359 unique providers.
359 providersDisputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
The Hellenic Capital Market Commission is the listed competent authority for BCASH, Xenios Blockchain Group and Capital Wallet Greece, and the Bank of Greece is listed for Piraeus Bank.
Reported by TheNewsCrypto
Binance withdrew its Greek MiCA application on June 24 before the Hellenic Capital Market Commission issued a formal decision.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Cointelegraph reported that the Wall Street Journal said ECB President Christine Lagarde intervened to block Binance's Greek application, and that HCMC denied its officials made the comments attributed to them.
Disputed figureReported by Cointelegraph
The Hellenic Capital Market Commission expanded on its denial of the reported Binance remarks in comments to Cointelegraph.
Reported by Cointelegraph
A MiCA authorisation attaches to a particular legal entity, covers only listed services and reaches other EU countries only through a formal notification process, and its service-provider regime became fully applicable on December 30, 2024.
Reported by Bitcoin Insider
What happened
Greece appears on the European Securities and Markets Authority register of crypto-asset service providers for the first time, with BCASH, Xenios Blockchain Group, Capital Wallet Greece and Piraeus Bank listed as having Greece as their home member state. Cointelegraph reported that six providers from Germany, France and Slovenia were added in the same update, bringing the register to 359 unique providers, while TheNewsCrypto said the broader update added 10 entries. TheNewsCrypto reported that the Hellenic Capital Market Commission is the competent authority for BCASH, Xenios and Capital Wallet Greece, and the Bank of Greece for Piraeus Bank, and it listed the services each is permitted to offer. On Binance, Cointelegraph reported that the exchange withdrew its Greek application on June 24 before a formal HCMC decision, and that the Wall Street Journal later reported ECB President Christine Lagarde had intervened to block it, with the Journal saying HCMC denied its officials made the comments attributed to them. HCMC expanded on that denial in comments to Cointelegraph, and Bitcoin Insider said the regulator denied a claim connecting Binance and Lagarde while neither Cointelegraph nor CryptoBriefing detailed the exact content of the denied claim. The precise scope of the denied remarks and the substance of the reported Lagarde intervention remain unclear in the evidence.
How the story developed
- Update
Four Greek providers appear on the ESMA MiCA register
TheNewsCrypto dates the register update to September 24 and reported the development on September 29.
- First report
First report by Cointelegraph
Greece gets first MiCA entrants as watchdog denies Binance-Lagarde claim
- Update
Binance withdraws its Greek MiCA application
The exchange withdrew before the Hellenic Capital Market Commission issued a formal decision.
- Update
Wall Street Journal reports Lagarde intervened to block the Binance application
HCMC denied that its officials made the comments attributed to them.
- Update
Bitcoin Insider covers the licences and the denied Binance claim
The article notes neither underlying report detailed the exact content of the claim denied.
- Update
TheNewsCrypto details the split between HCMC and the Bank of Greece
HCMC is listed for BCASH, Xenios and Capital Wallet Greece; the Bank of Greece for Piraeus Bank.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 29 Sept 2026, 09:50 UTC: Cointelegraph — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 29 Sept 2026, 10:00 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 29 Sept 2026, 12:31 UTC: TheNewsCrypto — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Chainlink, Tether USDt
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cointelegraph Crypto media | Greece gets first MiCA entrants as watchdog denies Binance-Lagarde claim | Original | |
| TheNewsCrypto Crypto media | Greece Enters ESMA MiCA Register With Four Crypto Firms | Syndicated | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | Greece Grants First MiCA Licenses as Regulator Denies Binance-Lagarde Claim | Syndicated | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | MiCA Licensing in Greece Explained: What EU Passporting Does and Does Not Allow | Syndicated |
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