Greece's Ministry of National Economy and Finance has released a draft bill imposing a flat 10% capital gains tax on crypto asset sales, the country's first dedicated tax framework for digital assets. The proposal, published for consultation on October 7-8, 2026, replaces a 15% rate the government signaled as recently as June 2026.

The bill sets out several core parameters:

• A flat 10% tax on capital gains realized when individuals sell crypto assets
• A €500 annual tax-free threshold for individual gains
• A 12-month window after the law takes effect for voluntary declaration of past gains without penalties or interest
• Crypto-to-crypto swaps excluded from taxable events
• Crypto sales exempt from Greece's digital transaction fee

The swap exclusion carries the most operational weight. Rotating between tokens or trading Ether for a stablecoin would not trigger a tax liability on its own; tax applies only when crypto is converted out — that is, sold. For active traders, this avoids the compounding paperwork and phantom tax bills on unrealized gains that plague jurisdictions taxing every crypto-to-crypto exchange.

How does the draft treat DeFi income?

Staking, lending, and liquidity provision rewards fall under the same 10% rate, but the draft classifies this income as interest rather than capital gains. The distinction gives DeFi yields a defined home in the tax code, yet it obliges holders to track yield income separately from trading gains — a bookkeeping burden for users active in both categories.

The bill also aligns Greece with EU transparency standards, notably DAC8, the bloc's directive extending reporting obligations to crypto asset service providers. Greece's move fits the broader European trajectory toward mandatory visibility into crypto activity.

What changes for Greek holders?

Until now, Greek crypto holders operated with little formal guidance on their tax obligations. The draft replaces that ambiguity with a known rate, an annual buffer, and a clear line between swaps and taxable sales. For individuals, the immediate effect is predictability: taxpayers can plan around a fixed 10% exposure instead of estimating liability under rules that did not exist.

The 12-month amnesty window gives holders of undeclared past gains a one-time opportunity to regularize their positions without penalties or interest — an incentive that mirrors settlement programs other European jurisdictions have used to pull crypto activity onto the books.

The rate itself has already moved once. A June 2026 signal pointed to 15%; the draft trimmed that to 10%, a reduction that lowers the marginal cost of compliance and may reduce incentives for relocation or offshoring of holdings.

What happens next?

The framework remains a draft under consultation, and the movement from 15% to 10% shows the parameters are negotiable. Rates and treatment still vary sharply across EU member states, so a Greek trader and a peer in another country can face very different outcomes on identical gains — a divergence that broader EU coordination has yet to resolve.

Final passage and the formal opening of the 12-month declaration window are the next milestones to watch as the consultation closes and the bill moves toward the Hellenic Parliament.