Greece Passes 10% Crypto Gains Tax With €500 Exemption

Greece's parliament approved a 10% capital gains tax on cryptocurrencies on Thursday, the country's first full legal framework for taxing crypto assets, Reuters reported.

Annual crypto capital gains of up to €500 (about $563) are exempt under the bill. Five hundred euros a year. European Union countries do not share one tax rate for the sector; capital gains taxes among them range from about 8% to 30%, Reuters said.

How the tax works

A capital gains tax on crypto is a tax on the profit when someone sells crypto for money or otherwise disposes of it for goods or services. Greece's bill draws that line for the first time. A senior finance ministry official told Reuters that further implementation directives will follow soon and will set transparency and audit rules.

The same official said the state could not project revenue from the tax. Most Greek investors use platforms abroad, the official said, so the size of the domestic market is hard to measure.

The Defiant reported that the framework is scheduled to apply from January 2027. eKathimerini carried the same Reuters account of Thursday's vote.

In our opinion: the rate sits near the low end of Europe's 8% to 30% range, and the €500 yearly exemption softens the entry for small holders. The number worth chasing is whether those coming directives can see trades that sit on foreign platforms. Until then, Athens has a rate and an admission that it still can't size the market.