WSJ investigation (September 18, 2026): ECB President Christine Lagarde allegedly called Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to block Binance’s MiCA application despite ECB holding zero formal licensing authority under MiCA.
HCMC had deemed the filing complete and notified ESMA of intent to approve before intervention. Binance withdrew June 24, 2026. Lagarde’s reported concerns: dollar stablecoin dominance undermining digital euro and euro-denominated alternatives; Binance’s 2023 US money-laundering guilty plea.
HCMC said it assessed the application “independently and exclusively.” ECB spokesperson declined comment on intervention; noted ECB has no institutional role in CASP authorization.