ECB President Lagarde reportedly intervened to block Binance's MiCA license in Greece

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on September 18, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde intervened in Binance's application for a Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license in Greece, urging Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to reject it. Concerns were raised regarding Binance's compliance history and the potential impact on the dominance of USD-backed stablecoins and the digital euro. Binance withdrew its application in mid-June before a formal decision was made. The ECB declined to comment, while the Hellenic Capital Market Commission stated it reviews applications independently.