Binance to seek alternate EU license if Greece stalls

Binance will apply for authorization in a different European Union member state if its licensing application in Greece does not progress in time, and the firm has days to secure approval before the Markets in Crypto‑Assets Regulation (MiCA) transitional period ends on July 1. The result will determine whether Binance can continue offering services across the EU under MiCA.

Gillian Lynch, Binance’s head of Europe and the United Kingdom, confirmed the company is “not leaving Europe” and said it submitted a formal MiCA application in Greece after holding talks with regulators in Ireland and Latvia. Some officials have raised concerns linked to the exchange’s past anti‑money‑laundering penalties, its international corporate structure and a perceived risk‑taking culture.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has warned that crypto service providers without MiCA authorization by the deadline must take immediate steps to wind down activities in the EU. Firms that remain unauthorized will need to cease operations or meet transitional requirements set by the regulation.

Greece’s Hellenic Capital Market Commission reviewed Binance’s application and considered it compliant, subject to further scrutiny by ESMA. Binance indicated it will provide additional information requested by regulators; no public confirmation of further filings has been released.

Market data show euro‑denominated trading accounts for a small share of Binance’s global spot volume, roughly 1% by one analytics estimate. Daily euro‑pair volume on the exchange in 2026 ranged between about $100 million and $250 million, with occasional spikes near $600 million. Those figures place Binance at an estimated 18.5% share of euro spot trading for the year, behind a larger rival at about 43.3%.

MiCA requirements also affect token issuers. Many listings and token white papers must be prepared or notified by authorized trading platforms. Data from an EU crypto register tracker show at least 380 of 867 white‑paper entries were submitted by third parties rather than token issuers, and four exchanges accounted for roughly 271 notifications, about 31% of the total. Exchanges commonly use in‑house compliance teams and law firms to prepare documents and sometimes provide standard templates for projects to complete.

Under MiCA, firms that provide crypto services must obtain authorization from an EU member state and meet standards for governance, anti‑money‑laundering controls and other compliance measures. Regulators will review firms’ applications before granting permission to serve EU customers during and after the transitional period.