Greek Parliament Passes 10% Crypto Tax Starting 2027, With a Higher Rate for Staking and Lending Income

By Coinvote

Published November 6, 2026 - 11:21 UTC | 4 mins read

Greek Parliament Passes 10% Crypto Tax Starting 2027, With a Higher Rate for Staking and Lending Income

Greece's parliament has approved a 10% tax on crypto gains from 2027. Small annual profits are exempt, and staking, lending and liquidity income face a higher rate. Holders get a year to declare past gains, but enforcement on foreign platforms is the open question.

Parliament passes Greece's first dedicated crypto tax rules

The Hellenic Parliament approved a 10% tax on cryptocurrency gains on Thursday, according to Cointelegraph. The tax came within a wider bill that also covers the supervision of loans, protections around debt and rules for financial markets. The new regime is scheduled to start on Jan. 1, 2027.

Bitcoin Magazine described the law as the first time Greece has set out full legal rules for taxing crypto. The Defiant said in its summary that net gains of up to €500 a year are exempt, with the rules applying from January 2027.

How the tax is calculated and what triggers it

Bitcoin Magazine reported that the tax applies to the net gain, calculated as the transfer price minus the acquisition price, instead of to total sale proceeds. Fees and other costs linked to the transaction can be counted in that figure. Simply holding a coin while its euro value rises does not create a tax bill.

A taxable transfer is broader than a sale for euros. Both Cointelegraph and Bitcoin Magazine said that paying for goods or services with crypto can trigger the tax. Bitcoin Magazine added that handing over crypto as a contribution to a company's capital can also give rise to a taxable gain.

Bitcoin Magazine said Greek analyses of the text indicate that when net gains exceed €500, the 10% rate is charged on the entire year's net gain rather than just the excess over the threshold. It also reported that annual losses exceeding €500 can offset future crypto gains for up to five years, but not other types of gains.

Key figures in the Greek framework

The main parameters, as reported by Cointelegraph and Bitcoin Magazine, are below.

10% tax on profits from crypto asset sales.
Exemption for annual net gains of up to €500, which Cointelegraph put at $560 and Bitcoin Magazine at $563.
A 15% rate on earnings from staking, lending crypto and supplying liquidity to DeFi protocols, per Cointelegraph.
A one-year period for investors to come forward on earlier gains they never reported, with the resulting tax payable 60 days after filing, after which penalties and interest apply.
Crypto purchases pulled into existing source-of-funds checks from 2027, according to Bitcoin Magazine.

Where the outlets agree and where they differ

All four outlets agree on the headline rate, the €500 exemption and the 2027 start. Cointelegraph and CoinDesk both point to the 12-month window for declaring past gains. CoinDesk's headline also refers to a 15% levy on DeFi income, which matches the staking, lending and liquidity rate Cointelegraph described.

The clearest difference concerns swaps between crypto assets. Cointelegraph, citing the Oikonomikos Tachydromos report, said such swaps do not generate taxable gains. Bitcoin Magazine said the explanatory material that accompanied the bill treats them as non-taxable. CoinDesk's summary says questions remain over crypto-to-crypto swaps, which suggests the treatment may not be fully settled for practitioners.

The outlets also frame the October proposal differently. Cointelegraph said the finance ministry first proposed the tax that month. Bitcoin Magazine reported that an earlier draft floated a 15% rate, so the passed version lands five points lower while keeping the same €500 exemption.

A mid-range rate in a fragmented European picture

Bitcoin Magazine quoted a senior finance ministry official, speaking to Reuters, as saying that EU countries do not share a unified crypto tax system. Rates typically run from about 8% to 30% and are usually levied as capital gains taxes. Bitcoin Magazine placed Greece's 10% on the lower side of that range, under the 30% often cited for France and over Cyprus's 8%.

The outlet added that the Dutch are shifting to a tax on realized capital gains starting in 2028. Crypto kept for more than a year remains tax-free in Germany and Portugal. It also noted that since January the EU's DAC8 reporting rules have obliged crypto platforms to pass customer and transaction information to national tax authorities.

What it means for holders and project teams

For individual holders in Greece, the practical changes are record-keeping and timing. Cost basis, fees and transfer prices now matter, and paying a merchant in crypto can create a taxable event. Anyone with undeclared past gains has a 12-month window to come forward, and Cointelegraph noted the resulting tax must be paid within 60 days of filing.

Teams building staking, lending or liquidity products should note the separate 15% treatment of income from those activities. The source-of-funds checks may also mean that buyers are asked to document where the euros used for purchases came from. Bitcoin Magazine stressed that this does not add a purchase tax, but it widens the audit trail.

Open questions as implementing rules arrive

A senior finance ministry official told Reuters that additional implementing guidance is due within weeks and will set out transparency and audit rules. Those directives are likely to settle how the swap treatment and the DeFi income rules work in practice.

Revenue is also unclear. The official said it could not be projected because most investors use platforms abroad, which makes the size of Greece's crypto market hard to measure. Whether Athens can obtain reliable cost-basis data from offshore exchanges is the central enforcement question to watch.

Market snapshot

Asset	Price	24h	7d	Market cap
Bitcoin (BTC)	$75,935	-5.4%	-2.0%	$1.53 trillion

CoinGecko data as of 2026-11-06 (UTC).

FAQ

When does Greece's crypto gains tax start?

The framework is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, according to Cointelegraph and Bitcoin Magazine. Parliament passed the legislation on Thursday as part of a wider financial bill.

Are crypto-to-crypto swaps taxed in Greece?

Cointelegraph and Bitcoin Magazine reported that swaps between crypto assets are not taxable events under the new rules. CoinDesk's summary notes that questions remain over their treatment, so the upcoming directives are worth checking.

Can Greek investors declare past crypto gains?

Yes. Investors get a year to come forward on earlier gains they never reported. Cointelegraph reported that the tax due must be paid 60 days after filing, or penalties and interest apply.