EU Targets Year-End Goals to Boost Pension Investments and Simplify Trading Processes

According to PANews, the European Union has set a year-end target to implement further measures aimed at enhancing pension investments and streamlining trading processes, in a bid to invigorate Europe's capital markets. On Thursday, EU Financial Services Commissioner Albuquerque unveiled the plans, which include considering granting direct regulatory authority to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU's top market regulator based in Paris. Albuquerque stated that as regulatory powers shift to ESMA, the EU Commission will explore the feasibility of centralized regulation for certain market infrastructures, such as central counterparties, central securities depositories, and trading venues. She noted that emerging sectors, including crypto asset service providers, would also benefit from more centralized oversight, emphasizing that this move would not undermine the role of national regulatory bodies.