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The EU plans to grant ESMA comprehensive regulatory powers similar to the SEC, potentially ushering in an era of unified rules for the crypto market.
The European Commission has officially proposed transferring the direct supervisory authority over all crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) from member states to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), making its role in crypto regulation more akin to that of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This reform aims to eliminate regulatory fragmentation among the 27 member states and establish a unified, efficient, and consistent cross-border regulatory framework for the EU crypto market.
This legislative proposal was released nine months after the announcement of the Savings and Investment Union Strategy. The strategy emphasizes that, amid intensifying global capital competition and the continued expansion of U.S. financial markets, Europe needs to accelerate the integration of its capital markets. Regulatory centralization is seen as a key means to enhance cross-border efficiency.