Greece approves a 10% tax on crypto gains
Greece's parliament has passed its first full crypto tax law, setting a 10% rate on net gains from 1 January 2027, according to Bitcoin Magazine.
The facts
- Greece's parliament approved a bill on Thursday that puts a 10% capital gains tax on crypto, the country's first full framework for taxing it, according to Bitcoin Magazine.
- Net gains of up to €500 ($563) a year are exempt. Above that, 10% applies to the full net gain, according to Greek analyses cited by the source. The tax starts on 1 January 2027.
- Crypto-to-crypto swaps are non-taxable, but paying for goods or services with crypto can trigger a gain. Losses above €500 can be carried forward for up to five years.
- A senior finance ministry official told Reuters that revenue cannot be projected, because most investors use platforms abroad. An October draft had floated a 15% rate.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
A tax rate is not the same as a tax you can collect. Greece has set 10% in law, but most of its crypto users trade on foreign platforms, and the state admits it cannot even size the market. The real test is the cost-basis data from offshore exchanges, and the upcoming directives on transparency and audit rules will show how serious Athens is. The rate is the headline. The audit trail is the story.
For traders
Don't read the 10% as the whole bill. Watch the implementation directives due in the coming weeks, especially the record-keeping and audit rules. Check how paying a merchant in crypto is treated, since that can crystallise a gain.
For builders
Tax tooling is the gap here: cost-basis tracking across exchanges and wallets, and reports that fit the EU's DAC8 data-sharing rules. The new source-of-funds checks on purchases from 2027 also mean on-ramps and exchanges serving Greek users will need cleaner compliance flows.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Bitcoin Magazine's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.