Greece gives crypto gains a 10% haircut, with smallholders spared from the chop

Greece’s parliament approved legislation imposing a 10% tax on profits from cryptocurrency sales, with the new framework scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027. The Hellenic Parliament passed the measures Thursday as part of a broader bill covering loan oversight, debt protections and financial market regulation.

Investors whose annual crypto-asset gains do not exceed 500 euros ($560) would be exempt from the 10% tax, according to local financial publication Oikonomikos Tachydromos, which reported the provisions Friday. The legislation also sets a 15% tax on income from staking, crypto lending and providing liquidity to decentralized protocols.

The tax treatment would also apply to capital gains when cryptocurrency is used to buy goods or services. Swapping one crypto asset for another would not generate taxable gains, Oikonomikos Tachydromos reported. Greece’s Ministry of National Economy and Finance first proposed the tax in October.

The legislation gives investors 12 months to voluntarily declare previously unreported crypto gains. They would need to pay the resulting tax within 60 days of filing to avoid penalties and interest. The report also linked to Greece’s first MiCA entrants as the watchdog denied a Binance-Lagarde claim.