The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its Strategy for 2023-2028. In the Strategy, ESMA details its long-term priorities and how it will use its competences and toolbox to respond to future challenges and developments.
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.
Verena Ross, ESMA’s chair, said in a statement: “The ESMA Strategy takes into account the rapidly changing market and geopolitical developments. The established strategic goals are important to enable ESMA, the EU’s financial markets regulator and supervisor, to continue to achieve its mission to enhance investor protection, promote orderly and stable financial markets.”
“The 2023-2028 ESMA Strategy is centerd around three priorities and two thematic drivers. Fostering effectiveness and stability of the EU markets and enhancing the protection of retail investors, and doing both through strengthened supervision, are at the core of what ESMA is all about. The key twin drivers of sustainability and technological and data innovation are also now embedded across all areas of the organization.”
Specific to technological innovation and effective use of data, ESMA said it will aim for financial regulation that does not hinder innovation, while maintaining a level playing field between emerging players and products and more traditional ones. ESMA’s focus will be on assessing the impact of technologies used in financial markets on the existing regulatory framework and implementation of the upcoming EU legislation in this space.
ESMA will further strengthen its role as data and information hub in the EU and contribute to extending the effective use of data in financial market supervision.