Greece has entered the EUâs MiCA register for the first time, with four providersâBCash, Xenios Blockchain Group, Capital Wallet Greece and Piraeus Bankâadded to the ESMA list, taking the total to 359 unique crypto-asset service providers. The registrations mean these firms can operate under MiCAâs passporting framework and potentially offer services across the EU. Greek implementation divides oversight: the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC) is the competent authority for BCash, Xenios and Capital Wallet Greece, while the Bank of Greece is listed for Piraeus Bank, reflecting national choices to designate multiple competent authorities.
The entries also prompted a public clarification from the HCMC after reports that ECB President Christine Lagarde intervened in Binanceâs withdrawn Greek application. The Wall Street Journal reported that a vice chair of HCMC had told Binance Lagarde asked Greek officials not to approve the application; HCMC denied those assertions and said it received no communications from the Greek government or the ECB on the matter, âcategoricallyâ rejecting the attributed statements. Binance withdrew its application on June 24 and has indicated it will seek authorization through other EU jurisdictions.