Greece Approves 10% Tax on Full Annual Crypto Gains Above €500

By Daniel Okafor

Greek Parliament approved a 10% tax on an investor’s full annual net crypto gains once those gains exceed €500. The measure is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

What does the €500 threshold mean?

The approved structure applies the 10% levy to the entire annual net gain after the threshold is crossed, rather than only taxing the portion above €500. It uses an annual measure, so the framework centers on an investor’s net crypto gain over the year.

That makes the threshold a trigger for the full gain, not a standard allowance that could be deducted from the taxable amount under this provision. For a taxpayer with annual net gains above €500, the approved framework provides no basis for excluding the first €500 from the 10% calculation.

How are staking and DeFi income taxed?

Greece will tax income from staking, crypto lending and providing liquidity to decentralized finance pools separately at 15%, also from Jan. 1, 2027.

• Staking income: 15%.
• Crypto-lending income: 15%.
• Liquidity income from DeFi pools: 15%.

These rates are separate from the 10% capital-gains levy. The framework therefore treats returns generated through the three activities as a distinct tax category, rather than folding them into the annual net-gain calculation described above.

Why is the treatment of crypto swaps unresolved?

Parliament’s scientific service flagged the language covering “asset disposals for consideration” as potentially broad enough to include an exchange of one cryptocurrency for another. It recommended explicitly exempting such swaps and setting clearer rules for trades involving stablecoins and electronic money tokens.

That recommendation identifies two unresolved implementation points: whether token-to-token trades count as taxable disposals, and how stablecoin or electronic-money-token trades should be treated. Without a swap exemption in the text, the government’s earlier position does not settle how the current wording applies in practice.

The Greek government has previously said: “Crypto swaps should not trigger capital gains tax.” Its earlier public position points toward an exemption, but Parliament’s approved framework leaves the operational treatment unsettled.

The service’s recommendation extends beyond swaps to stablecoins and electronic money tokens, two token categories for which it called for clearer trade rules. The approved rates are specific, while the boundary between a taxable disposal and an exempt swap remains less clearly defined.

What will the Finance Ministry clarify?

Greek Finance Ministry officials plan to publish guidance in the coming weeks on transaction transparency and tax audits. The promised guidance concerns the administration of the new regime, including how transactions are made transparent and how audits will be conducted.

For Greek taxpayers, the overseas location of many trading venues adds uncertainty to the compliance picture. The government has not estimated how much revenue the measure may raise, saying the crypto market is difficult to measure because many Greek investors use trading platforms based abroad.

That statement limits any official forecast of the tax’s yield. It leaves both the taxable base and expected public revenue without a published estimate, while taxpayers still lack clarity on whether token swaps fall within the capital-gains provision.

What changes before Jan. 1, 2027?

The framework fixes the start date and headline rates, but leaves token swaps, stablecoin transactions and electronic money token trades awaiting greater clarity.

The next deadline is Jan. 1, 2027, when the framework takes effect with those treatment questions still unsettled.