ESMA Targets Crypto Oversight with Standardized Supervision Plans

European regulator ESMA has outlined its priorities for 2027 in its Work Programme, with a focus on crypto assets and blockchain technology. The document follows the full implementation of the MiCA framework (Markets in Crypto Assets) and outlines operational priorities that will guide the regulator's strategy during this period.

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the regulatory body overseeing financial markets in the European Union, has reaffirmed its commitment to close cooperation with National Competent Authorities (NCAs), focusing on the supervision of crypto asset service providers (CASPs) under the MiCA framework. This involves standardizing the supervision of crypto assets through new rules and the periodic reporting of sensitive information by CASPs.

ESMA will also deploy its MIDAS surveillance system to detect and prevent market abuse cases involving digital assets. The regulator warned that prediction market platforms fall under binary options regulation and must obtain a MiFID II license.