Binance Files for MiCA License, Sets Up Greek Holding

Highlights:

• Binance aims to secure the MiCA license in Greece ahead of the July 2026 deadline.
• Greece offers a growing economic environment, ideal for Binance’s operations.
• The MiCA license will allow Binance to operate across all EU countries.

Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, has submitted an application in Greece to obtain a MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) license. This timely move follows the deadline on MiCA compliance in the European Union (EU). The application, submitted to the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC), shows the commitment of Binance to trying to obtain regulatory coverage in Europe. With this move, the exchange has also formed a Greek holding company to enhance its presence in the region.

MiCA was unveiled by the EU in 2023 in a bid to ensure a uniform regulatory framework for crypto-asset service providers (CASPs). MiCA requires firms such as Binance to be licensed in one EU member state to conduct operations within the whole bloc.

Binance Takes Action as MiCA Deadline Looms

Binance has decided to file its application in Greece instead of the previously preferred Malta or Latvia. The Greek holding company is named Binary Greece and is established within Binance Holdings (IE) Limited. This indicates that Binance is committed to Greece in the long term and that it plans to expand into the EU. In the application process, Binance has enlisted leading companies like Ernst and Young and KPMG. These firms will consequently help the HCMC in reviewing its application.

Binance has applied for an EU-wide MiCA license, filing in Greece and setting up a local holding company. If approved by the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, the license would allow Binance to operate and market crypto services across the EU ahead of the July 1 deadline.…

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) January 23, 2026

The move was confirmed by a spokesperson of Binance, who emphasized that the company considers MiCA as a means of creating regulatory clarity and enhancing innovation in the crypto industry. The spokesperson further added,

“The contribution of Greece to the EU economic system is important. The country has a growing economy and strong regulatory factors that promote transparency and investor protection.”

The regulatory scrutiny is also on the increase. For instance, in Italy, crypto exchanges were asked to meet MiCA rules or be suspended. Some experts have suggested the establishment of a single European authority to regulate all crypto companies, like the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).

Key Deadline for MiCA Compliance

The complete regulatory framework of MiCA took effect on 30 December 2024. The companies must, however, meet the deadline of July 1, 2026, to acquire their licenses. Additionally, companies that do not adhere to the new rules might be compelled to cease their activities in the EU. Binance serves more than 20 million customers in Europe and is making every effort to meet the deadline. The company already has licenses in six EU countries. However, with the MiCA license, it will be able to operate in all EU member states effortlessly.

The move by Greece to fast-track the application of Binance is a major step towards meeting the MiCA deadline. The HCMC has already started coordinating with major accounting companies to speed up the review process. According to industry experts, Binance will most likely gain approval because companies usually take months to meet with regulators prior to seeking a license to operate under MiCA. This makes Binance very confident of its chance of obtaining approval.

Another crypto exchange, KuCoin, recently obtained a MiCA license in Austria. This license enables the exchange to provide regulated services in 29 countries in the European Economic Area.

Big news for Europe, bigger news for the world! 🌍 KuCoin EU is now officially MiCAR-compliant and approved by the Austrian FMA! Secure, regulated crypto access is coming to the EU very soon.

The future of crypto is global and compliant. Let’s go! 🚀#KuCoin #MiCAR… pic.twitter.com/UgeQGRFJpf

— KuCoin (@kucoincom) November 28, 2025