European Union: FinTech

On 5 March 2026, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) published a Discussion Paper (DP12) (PDF 1.4 MB) examining the use of DLT and tokenisation within Irish and European financial services, with a particular focus on investment funds, including money market funds and exchange-traded funds.

DAC8 and the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) are ending anonymity in crypto transactions across participating jurisdictions, including Portugal. From 2026, crypto asset service providers must collect and report user transaction data to tax authorities, significantly increasing transparency and tax enforcement.

The European Commission has launched dual consultations on the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR), seeking feedback from both retail users and industry stakeholders on whether the regulation remains fit for purpose. Key areas under review include the treatment of decentralized finance, stablecoins, crypto-asset service providers, NFTs, tokenised deposits, and the private-law treatment of tokens, with responses due by 31 August 2026.

Ireland's implementation of AIFMD 2.0 brings significant regulatory changes for alternative investment funds, alongside evolving requirements for ESG disclosure and board effectiveness. The Central Bank of Ireland explores emerging opportunities in distributed ledger technology, tokenisation, and artificial intelligence while addressing future modifications to venture and growth capital fund regulations.

The CRD VI Act pursues a dual objective: on the one hand, transposing CRD VI itself and, on the other, transposing Directive (EU) 2024/2994 and implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2987, relating to the EMIR 3 package.

The European Securities and Markets Authority has published draft regulatory technical standards recalibrating the clearing thresholds under EMIR 3, fundamentally shifting the framework from a distinction between OTC...

Background to the Report Simmons and Simmons LLP have prepared a long-form report (the “Report ”) to support the Malta Financial Services Advisory Counsel...

AI's impact hinges on the safeguards and governance frameworks that guide its deployment, not the technology itself. Recent harmful chatbot incidents expose the inadequacy of voluntary self-regulation when commercial pressures eclipse safety considerations. The EU AI Act emerges as a critical regulatory intervention to establish mandatory safety standards, accountability mechanisms, and oversight structures that protect the public from preventable AI-related harm.

On the fifth episode of our blockchain series, Counsel Dr. Anastasia Mallerou and Associate Sotiris Kolelis discuss off-chain and on-chain asset tokenization and report on the different legal implications of each tokenization category.