European regulators need more powers to police crypto, watchdog says

European regulators need more powers to police crypto, watchdog says

PARIS, Sept 30 : The European Securities and Markets Authority said on Wednesday that European regulators should be given more powers to help them enforce crypto rules, and that ESMA should be able to tell crypto companies to freeze crypto assets when they have reasonable grounds to suspect that they are linked to c

ESMA calls for expanded powers to enforce EU crypto regulations

ESMA wants powers to freeze crypto assets, block scam websites and ban misleading marketing as part of the European Commission's MiCA review.

ESMA, the EU markets watchdog, wants stronger enforcement of EU crypto regulation

Regulators across the European Union may soon get sharper teeth when it comes to crypto oversight. On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said national watchdogs and ESMA itself need broader authority to enforce the bloc’s crypto rulebook, arguing...

ESMA responds to Commission’s consultation on the review of MiCA

On 30 September 2026, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued its response to the European Commission’s public consultation on the review of Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). ESMA argues that the revisited MiCA framework should bring clearer token classification, more effective supervision of cross-border risks including stronger convergence tools for ESMA, and better alignment between MiCA and the Markets in Financ…

MiCA Review: ESMA Moves to Close Stablecoin and DeFi Loopholes Regulations ETHNews

HIGHLIGHTS ESMA wants licensed crypto firms in the EU restricted from offering services tied to non-compliant stablecoins. Companies that give users access to DeFi protocols could fall under a new regulated service category. Central banks separately propose replacing MiCA’s fixed bank deposit reserve rule with liquidity-based requirements. The recommendations feed into the Commission’s review and […]