On July 3, ESMA issued a statement warning that some event contracts resembling binary options could fall under current derivatives regulation. The regulator stressed that firms offering these instruments should assess whether these contracts fall under this classification to comply with regulatory requirements. Europe Puts Its Sights on Binary Options-Like Event Markets The European Securities […]
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Getting licensed under the European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) framework is only the beginning for crypto custodians, as regulators turn their attention from authorization to operational resilience. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) on Wednesday launched a Common Supervisory Action (CSA) to examine the operational resilience of crypto asset service providers (CASPs), placing custody services at the center of the review. “The signal is quite clear: for custodians, a licence is the start line, not the finish,” Sebastien Dessimoz, co-founder and managing partner at digital asset infrastructure firm Taurus, told Cointelegraph. The review comes shortly after MiCA’s transitional period expired, marking one of the first major supervisory exercises under the EU’s new crypto framework. From claiming security to proving it The ESMA told Cointelegraph
A MiCA license allows crypto firms to operate in the EU, but the ESMA’s review will test whether custodians can meet the required security and resilience standards.
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A new transparency mechanism is now live in EU financial markets. The European Securities and Markets Authority has released its first-ever batch of ESMA market capitalisation data for EU Member States, covering reference years 2024 and 2025 — and the publication carries more regulatory weight than a routine data drop might suggest. Key takeaways ESMA published annual market capitalisation figures and ratios for all EU Member States for 2024 and 2025 on July 10, 2026. This is the first implementation of ESMA’s mandate under the FASTER Directive, marking a new phase in EU financial market regulation. Member States whose market size exceeds 1.5% of total EU market capitalisation for four consecutive years become subject to specific withholding tax relief requirements. ESMA developed dedicated technical standards governing the calculation methodology behind the figures. Updated figu
Europe’s stablecoin rulebook is becoming much more real. ESMA’s finalized MiCA guidelines add another layer of detail to how stablecoin issuers and service providers are expected to operate inside the bloc, especially wh
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ESMA launched a CSA to assess digital operational resilience of CASPs, focusing on custody services. NCAs will carry out the exercise on a risk-based sample of authorized CASPs, targeting DLT-related risks. The findings from NCAs will be submitted to ESMA’s Board of Supervisors after the exercise ends in H2 2027. The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is launching a Common Supervisory Action (CSA) focused on the digital operational resilience of Crypto Asset Service Providers (CASPs), with particular attention to custody services. National competent authorities (NCAs) will conduct the review on a risk based sample of authorized CASPs during the first half of 2027. ESMA Launches CSA on Crypto Custody Providers On July 8, 2026, ESMA, the EU regulator and supervisor, announced the launch of a CSA targeting the digital operational resilience of CASPs, with a particular focu
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For EU crypto custodians, the grace period is over. With the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation now fully enforced, the European Securities and Markets Authority has shifted from rulemaking to active supervision. Its first Common Supervisory Action on crypto-asset service providers puts custody operations under direct scrutiny, according to the original report. National regulators will begin risk-based reviews that run into 2027, zeroing in on governance, key management, transaction controls, incident response, smart contract risks, and third-party dependencies. The CSA is not a one-off check. It represents a structured, coordinated effort across all member states to test the digital operational resilience of firms holding client crypto assets. The fact that ESMA chose custody as the first target says a lot about where regulators see the greatest risk. Private key mismanageme
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Key Highlights European regulators initiate coordinated custody audits following MiCA’s full activation. Crypto service providers undergo scrutiny on client asset safeguarding mechanisms. Examination covers private key management, governance structures, and transaction oversight. MiCA framework transitions from registration phase to active compliance verification. Comprehensive findings expected by 2027 to identify custody vulnerabilities across member states. European securities regulators have initiated a comprehensive custody examination targeting crypto firms operating under the new MiCA regulatory framework. The investigation evaluates how licensed providers safeguard customer holdings and address operational vulnerabilities. This coordinated effort aims to establish uniform protection standards throughout the European Union. Pan-European Custody Investi
