Greece Registers First MiCA Crypto Providers as Watchdog Denies Lagarde Intervention

MiCA crypto providers — Greece has registered its first crypto-asset service providers under the EU’s MiCA framework, while its market watchdog has issued a detailed denial of a report claiming ECB President Christine Lagarde intervened to block Binance‘s application.

Four Greek entities—BCash, Xenios Blockchain Group, Capital Wallet Greece, and Piraeus Bank—were added to the European Securities and Markets Authority’s MiCA register on Thursday, marking the country’s inaugural entries. The register now lists 359 unique providers across the EU.

The Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC), which is the competent authority for three of the new providers, has forcefully rejected a recent Wall Street Journal report. The regulator stated that no HCMC official made the remarks attributed to them about Lagarde contacting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis regarding Binance, nor did it receive any communication on the matter from Greek government officials.

The oversight of Greece’s new MiCA entrants is split between the HCMC and the Bank of Greece, reflecting the country’s implementation of the bloc-wide rules. Binance withdrew its own application for a Greek MiCA license in late June before the HCMC could issue a formal decision.