Binance - MiCA Greece Application Withdrawal
Summary
Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, withdrew its Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license application from Greece's Hellenic Capital Market Commission on June 24, 2026, days before the EU's July 1, 2026 compliance deadline, after reports indicated the regulator was preparing to reject the bid. The withdrawal triggered a suspension of services across all 27 EU member states effective July 1, 2026, affecting users in France, Italy, Poland, Spain, and other countries. Binance stated it intends to pursue MiCA authorization through another EU member state, with France cited as the most likely destination, though the exchange already faces an active judicial probe there over alleged money laundering and tax fraud.
Connected Entities
1 entities · 10 linked investigations- + 6 more
Timeline(16 events)
2019-01-01
Alleged period of non-compliant operations in France and other EU countries begins, per French judicial probe allegations.
CoinDesk / Reuters reporting on French probe2022-01-01
Binance receives AMF registration in France as a digital asset service provider.
Crypto Briefing2023-06-01
French authorities begin investigating Binance for alleged aggravated money laundering and illegal provision of crypto services.
DL News2023-11-21
Binance pleads guilty and agrees to $4.3 billion DOJ/CFTC/FinCEN settlement; Changpeng Zhao resigns as CEO and pleads guilty personally. Independent compliance monitor installed.
CoinDesk2025-01-28
French prosecutors expand their criminal probe into Binance, adding allegations of laundering of proceeds from tax fraud and drug trafficking.
CoinDesk / Reuters2025-10-23
President Trump pardons Changpeng Zhao; pardon draws criticism over alleged conflicts of interest linked to Trump family crypto ventures.
CNBC2025-12-01
Binance establishes a Greek holding company in preparation for a MiCA license application.
Crypto Briefing2026-01-01
Binance submits MiCA license application to Greece's Hellenic Capital Market Commission (HCMC).
The Defiant2026-02-13
Fortune reports that Binance fired internal compliance investigators who allegedly uncovered $1 billion in Iran-linked transactions occurring after the DOJ settlement.
Fortune2026-02-26
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal opens a congressional inquiry into Binance over the fired investigators and alleged Iran sanctions violations.
Fortune2026-06-16
Reuters reports that Greece's HCMC is preparing to reject Binance's MiCA license application.
Crypto Briefing / Reuters2026-06-24
Binance officially withdraws its MiCA license application from Greece's HCMC, six days before the EU compliance deadline.
CoinDesk2026-06-25
Euronews and other outlets report Binance will halt crypto services across EU countries. Binance begins notifying users in France, Italy, Poland, and Spain.
Euronews2026-06-26
Binance notifies EU users that it will no longer provide services after July 1, 2026.
CoinDesk2026-07-01
MiCA full enforcement takes effect. Binance suspends new registrations, spot trading orders, deposits, and earn/staking products for all EU residents. Withdrawals and account access remain available.
The Crypto TimesDecision Log
- hash: BfyZmQX6wQtq69Wb7Nuret9AxJK2LYn5QVbVP1CDHDRK
This investigation is cryptographically anchored to the Solana blockchain and source URLs are archived via the Internet Archive.
model: claude-code-investigator
generated: 7/1/2026, 12:20:03 PM
last updated: 7/1/2026, 12:20:14 PM
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