The Business Confucius Institute in Athens (BCI Athens) was established at the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) in October 2009, in cooperation with the University of International Business & Economics in Beijing and the Office of Chinese Language Council International (HANBAN). 

In late June 2020, the Confucius Institute Headquarters (HΑΝΒΑΝ) was renamed to the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation, and is no longer involved with Confucius Institute program funding. Since then, a newly formed non-profit charitable organization, the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF), comprised by a number of universities and corporations, has assumed the responsibility of developing the Confucius Institute branding and providing financial resources.

BCI Athens aims to deepen friendly relationships between Greece and China, strengthen educational and cultural exchange as well as cooperation between the two countries, and enhance the understanding of the Chinese language and culture.