Regulatory news · European Union
ESMA to launch digital innovation supervisory priority from 2027
ESMA will launch a new Union Strategic Supervisory Priority on digital innovation, focusing initially on artificial intelligence and tokenisation, it said on 23 September 2026.
The European Securities and Markets Authority will launch a new Union Strategic Supervisory Priority to help embrace innovation while protecting investors and maintaining strong safeguards, the EU financial markets regulator and supervisor said on 23 September 2026.
ESMA said the digital innovation USSP aims to ensure supervisors have the expertise and capacity to oversee the use of new technologies. In collaboration with National Competent Authorities, its initial focus will be on how supervised entities use artificial intelligence and tokenisation. ESMA said it will remain flexible to address future technological developments as they emerge.
The new priority will run alongside the USSP on cyber and operational resilience, which has been in place since 2025. ESMA said that going forward it will continue its efforts and coordination to address the challenges ahead, including those emerging from advanced models such as frontier AI.
ESG disclosures priority concludes
ESMA also said that this year it is concluding the USSP on ESG disclosures, following its launch in 2023. It said that overall it has made strong progress in improving ESG disclosures and helping investors better understand sustainability information and receive quality advice. While this marks a significant milestone, ESMA said ESG remains a long-term journey.
What USSPs are
According to ESMA, USSPs are its convergence tools that address high-risk areas of strategic importance across the EU. They help direct supervisory resources towards the risks that matter most for investor protection, financial stability and the orderly functioning of EU financial markets.
ESMA published a factsheet presenting key information on ongoing and future USSPs, dated 23 September 2026 and titled Union strategic supervisory priorities (USSPs) - factsheet.
Related material
Among related documents listed by ESMA was a 31 July 2026 item stating that the European Supervisory Authorities, namely EBA, EIOPA and ESMA, call for enhanced governance and consistent supervision to mitigate ICT risks from frontier AI models in the EU financial sector.
ESMA also listed a 20 July 2026 report on cross-border investment services supervision, new questions and answers published on 10 July 2026, and a Common Supervisory Action launched on 8 July 2026 focusing on CASPs’ digital operational resilience for custody.
ESMA described itself in the document as the EU’s financial markets regulator and supervisor. It provided a contact for further information, Tayfun Yilmaz, Communications Officer, at press@esma.europa.eu.
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