ECB President Lagarde Reportedly Pressured Greece to Halt Binance's MiCA License
European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde reportedly intervened to prevent Binance from obtaining a pan-European crypto license through Greece. According to a Wall Street Journal account, Lagarde personally pressed Greek leaders to halt Binance's application for authorization as a crypto-asset service provider under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. Binance had sought this license through Greece’s Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC), which would have allowed it to 'passport' its operations across the entire EU bloc. By late May, Greek officials had indicated the application was nearing approval, with Binance's CEO, Richard Teng, planning a trip to Athens. However, in early June, a senior Greek official informed Binance that Lagarde had asked Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis not to grant the license. The HCMC subsequently stated it could not proceed without the prime minister's backing, leading Binance to withdraw its Greek filing on June 24, just days bef...
