ESMA has fined Scope Ratings GmbH (Scope) a total of EUR 2,197,500, and issued a public notice, for breaches of the Credit Rating Agencies Regulation (CRA Regulation). ESMA found that Scope fell short of the CRA Regulation’s requirements on handling conflicts of interest. This finding resulted from structural failures and specific breaches of the conflict of interest obligations in the CRA Regulation.

ESMA published the first Final Report under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), aiming at fostering clarity and predictability, promoting fair competition between crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) and a safer environment for investors across the Union.

ESMA published a letter to the European Commission, the Parliament, and the Council (ECOFIN) providing an interim update on the DLT Pilot Regime. The letter provides an update on the status of applications received by national competent authorities (NCAs) to date, as well as a list of challenges and opportunities identified in the first year of application.

ESMA published feedback received to its Call for Evidence on shortening the settlement cycle focused on four areas.

ESMA will focus on strengthening supervision, enhancing the protection of retail investors, fostering effective markets and financial stability, enabling sustainable finance, as well as facilitating technological innovation and effective use of data.