In June 2015, when the capital controls had been imposed and banks had closed, Greek depositors’ interest in buying Bitcoin became the top story in foreign news agencies. Today, after the election of Donald Trump, Bitcoin’s price rally has re-enhanced its appeal, though it coincides with the Greek government’s plan to tax cryptocurrencies.

“The reliable recording of the number and value of transactions through Bitcoin and generally cryptocurrencies in Greece is almost impossible due to the decentralized nature of digital currencies,” an expert notes to Kathimerini. The only certainty is that throughout Greece there are 24 (from just one in 2015) ATMs owned by a licensed provider of digital assets. Cryptocurrency transactions through the said provider’s ATMs incur a commission of 6-7%, with the user depositing money in physical form and receiving the crypto money in their digital wallet.

The international statistical data processing platform Statista places the value of the specific market in Greece at approximately 400 million euros in 2025. However, its methodology is based, for the most part, on data it gleans from cryptocurrency exchanges and interviews with key players in the particular market. US analysts Chainalysis have Greece ranked 61st out of 151 countries in terms of cryptocurrency adoption.

With these data, the Ministry of National Economy and Finance has started creating an institutional framework to set operating rules and tackle the cryptocurrency and digital currency market, as today the money traded through cryptocurrencies is not “visible” and therefore not taxed. The prevailing scenario foresees the imposition of a 15% tax rate on the capital gains resulting from the sale. The European Union and OECD framework for cryptocurrencies, which sets rules for market participants and protects consumers, will also be incorporated into national legislation. Member-states have until December 30 to transpose the main provisions into national legislation.

Source: Ekathimerini.com