BETA


2020/0267(COD) Digital finance: Pilot regime on distributed ledger technology market infrastructures (DLT)

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead ECON VAN OVERTVELDT Johan (icon: ECR ECR) POLFJÄRD Jessica (icon: EPP EPP), KAILI Eva (icon: S&D S&D), YON-COURTIN Stéphanie (icon: Renew Renew), URTASUN Ernest (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), BECK Gunnar (icon: ID ID), MACMANUS Chris (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL)
Committee Opinion ITRE
Committee Opinion IMCO
Committee Opinion LIBE
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
TFEU 114-p1

Events

2022/06/02
   Final act published in Official Journal
2022/05/30
   CSL - Draft final act
Documents
2022/05/30
   CSL - Final act signed
2022/05/02
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2022/04/12
   EP/CSL - Act adopted by Council after Parliament's 1st reading
2022/03/24
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2022/03/24
   EP - Decision by Parliament, 1st reading
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 527 votes to 28, with 31 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology.

The proposal for a regulation on a pilot scheme for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) aims to provide legal certainty and flexibility for market participants wishing to operate a DLT market infrastructure by establishing uniform requirements for the operation of DLTs.

The European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amends the Commission's proposal as follows:

Subject matter and scope

The pilot regime lays down the conditions for acquiring permission to operate a DLT market infrastructure, defines which DLT financial instruments can be traded and details the cooperation between the operators of DLT market infrastructures, national competent authorities and ESMA.

The DLT pilot regime aims to test the development of the European infrastructure for trading, clearing and settlement of DLT-based financial instruments. Crypto-assets are one of the main DLT applications for finance. Distributed ledger, broadly defined, is a consensually shared database through which a transaction is validated.

The concept of DLT market infrastructure comprises DLT multilateral trading facilities (DLT MTF), DLT settlement systems (DLT SS) and DLT trading and settlement systems (DLT TSS).

Limitations on the financial instruments admitted to trading or recorded on DLT market infrastructure

DLT financial instruments should only be admitted to trading on a DLT market infrastructure, or be recorded on a DLT market infrastructure, if, at the moment of admission to trading or the moment of recording on a distributed ledger, the DLT financial instruments are:

- shares, the issuer of which has a market capitalisation, or a tentative market capitalisation, of less than EUR 500 million ;

- bonds, other forms of securitised debt, including depositary receipts in respect of such securities, or money market instruments, with an issue size of less than EUR 1 billion , excluding those that embed a derivative or incorporate a structure which makes it difficult for the client to understand the risk involved; or

- units in collective investment undertakings covered by Directive 2014/65/EU, the market value of the assets under management of which is less than EUR 500 million.

The aggregate market value of all the DLT financial instruments that are admitted to trading on a DLT market infrastructure or that are recorded on a DLT market infrastructure shall not exceed EUR 6 billion at the moment of admission to trading, or initial recording, of a new DLT financial instrument.

Additional requirements for DLT market infrastructures

Operators of a DLT market infrastructure should:

- establish clear and detailed business plans in which they describe how they intend to provide their services and conduct their business, including a description of personnel in critical staff, technical aspects and the use of distributed ledger technology;

- make available to the public up-to-date, clear and detailed written documentation setting out the rules for the operation of DLT market infrastructures and their operators;

- set the rules for the operation of the distributed ledger technology they use, in order to ensure investor protection, market integrity and financial stability;

- provide their members, participants, issuers and customers with clear and unambiguous information on their websites about the way in which operators perform their functions, services and activities;

- ensure that all IT and cybersecurity arrangements related to the use of their distributed ledger technology are proportionate to the nature, scale and complexity of their business;

- put in place specific operational risk management procedures for the risks associated with the use of distributed ledger technology and crypto-assets and for how to address these risks if they materalise.

Consumer protection

In the event of a loss of funds, a loss of collateral or a loss of a DLT financial instrument, the operator of a DLT market infrastructure that lost the funds, collateral or DLT financial instrument should be liable for the loss , up to the market value of the asset lost, unless it proves that the loss arose as a result of an external event beyond its reasonable control.

Operators of DLT market infrastructure should establish transparent and adequate arrangements to ensure investor protection and should establish mechanisms for handling client complaints and procedures for compensation or redress in cases of investor loss as a result of any of the unavoidable circumstances.

Supervision

National competent authorities will remain in charge for the authorisation while the ESMA can issue an opinion on the application for authorisation to operate an DLT MTFs and DLT SSs. The opinion would be non-public and non-binding but an explanation would be needed in case the national competent authorities decide to significantly deviate from it.

This pilot scheme will be in place for three years , after which the Commission, based on ESMA's advice, should report to the Council and Parliament on the costs and benefits of extending, amending or abolishing it.

Documents
2022/03/23
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2022/01/12
   EP - Approval in committee of the text agreed at 1st reading interinstitutional negotiations
Documents
2021/12/21
   CSL - Coreper letter confirming interinstitutional agreement
2021/12/21
   EP - Text agreed during interinstitutional negotiations
Documents
2021/10/26
   IT_CHAMBER - Contribution
Documents
2021/09/15
   EP - Committee decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations confirmed by plenary (Rule 71)
2021/09/13
   EP - Committee decision to enter into interinstitutional negotiations announced in plenary (Rule 71)
2021/08/05
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
Documents
2021/08/05
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading
Documents
2021/07/13
   EP - Vote in committee, 1st reading
2021/07/13
   EP - Committee decision to open interinstitutional negotiations with report adopted in committee
2021/05/25
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/05/25
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2021/05/09
   RO_SENATE - Contribution
Documents
2021/04/23
   EDPS - Document attached to the procedure
2021/03/11
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2021/01/31
   PT_PARLIAMENT - Contribution
Documents
2020/12/15
   CZ_CHAMBER - Contribution
Documents
2020/11/13
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading
2020/10/15
   EP - VAN OVERTVELDT Johan (ECR) appointed as rapporteur in ECON
2020/09/24
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
2020/09/24
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
2020/09/24
   EC - Document attached to the procedure
2020/09/24
   EC - Legislative proposal published
Details

PURPOSE: to establish a common EU pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT).

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.

BACKGROUND: this proposal is part of the Digital Finance package, a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector with the aim to ensure that the Union’s financial services legislation is fit for the digital age, and contributes to a future-ready economy that works for the people, including by enabling the use of innovative technologies. The Union has a stated and confirmed policy interest in developing and promoting the uptake of transformative technologies in the financial sector, including blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT).

This package also includes a proposal for a proposal on crypto-asset markets, a proposal for digital operational resilience, and a proposal to clarify or amend certain related EU financial services rules.

CONTENT: the Commission seeks to propose a pilot regime for market infrastructures that wish to try to trade and settle transactions in financial instruments in crypto-asset form. The regime follows the ‘sandbox’ approach which allows for temporary derogations from some specific requirements under the Union financial services legislation that could otherwise prevent them from developing solutions for the trading and settlement of transactions in crypto-assets that qualify as financial instruments.

This proposed Regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology seeks to provide legal certainty and flexibility for market participants who wish to operate a DLT market infrastructure by establishing uniform requirements for operating these.

Permissions granted under this Regulation shall allow market participants to operate a DLT market infrastructure and to provide their services across all Member States.

Scope

The proposal establishes operating conditions for DLT market infrastructures, permission to make use of them and the supervision and cooperation of competent authorities and ESMA. It shall apply to market participants (either investment firms, market operators or central securities depositories, CSDs).

Limitations on the transferable securities admitted to trading on or settled by a DLT market infrastructure

The proposal sets out the limitations in terms of DLT transferable securities that can be admitted to trading on, or recorded by, DLT market infrastructures. For shares, the market capitalisation or the tentative market capitalisation of the issuer of DLT transferable securities should be less than EUR 200 million; for public bonds other than sovereign bonds, covered bonds and corporate bonds the limit is EUR 500 million.

DLT market infrastructures shall not admit to trading or record sovereign bonds.

In addition, the total market value of DLT transferable securities recorded by a CSD operating a DLT securities settlement system, or by a DLT MTF where allowed to record such DLT transferable securities, shall not exceed EUR 2.5 billion.

Additional requirements on DLT market infrastructures

Additional requirements are laid down to address the novel forms of risks raised using DLT. DLT market infrastructures must provide all members, participants, clients and investors with clear and unambiguous information on how they carry out their functions, services and activities.

DLT market infrastructures must also ensure that overall IT and cyber arrangements related to the use of DLT are adequate. Where the business model of a DLT market infrastructure involves the safekeeping of clients’ funds or DLT transferable securities, or the means to access these, they must have adequate arrangements to safeguard such assets.

Cooperation between operators of DLT market infrastructures, competent authorities and ESMA

It is proposed that DLT market infrastructures must inform competent authorities and ESMA of, for example: proposed material changes to their business plan including critical staff, evidence of hacking, fraud or other serious malpractice, material changes in the information contained in the initial application, technical or operational difficulties in delivering activities or services covered under the permission and any risks to investor protection, market integrity or financial stability that may have arisen and were not foreseen at the time the permission was given.

Where notified of such information, the competent authority may request the DLT market infrastructure to submit an application for another permission, exemption or take any corrective measure it deems appropriate.

In addition, the DLT market infrastructure shall produce and submit a report to the competent authority and ESMA detailing all of the information above including potential difficulties in applying EU financial services legislation.

Reporting

At the latest after a five-year period, ESMA shall produce a detailed report on the pilot regime to the Commission. On the basis of ESMA’s assessment, the Commission will produce a report including a cost-benefit analysis on whether the pilot regime should be maintained as it is or amended, whether it should be extended to new categories of financial instruments, whether targeted amendments to EU legislation should be considered to enable a widespread use of DLT and whether the pilot regime should be terminated.

Budgetary implications

This proposal holds implications in terms of costs and administrative burden for national competent authorities and the European Securities and Markets Authority. The magnitude and distribution of these costs will depend on the precise requirements placed on DLT market infrastructures and the related supervisory and monitoring tasks. The estimated supervisory costs for each Member State (including staff, training, IT infrastructure) can range from EUR 150 000 to EUR 250 000 per year per DLT market infrastructure.

For ESMA, the estimated cost in relation to review and coordination are estimated at EUR 150 000-EUR 300 000 in total. These costs shall be covered by ESMA’s operating budget, which shall be increased.

In addition, ESMA is expected to maintain a register of DLT market infrastructures in operation, the costs related to this are considered to be covered by the costs relating to the maintenance of the register.

Documents

Votes

Régime pilote pour les infrastructures de marché reposant sur la technologie des registres distribués - Pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology - Pilotregelung für auf der Distributed-Ledger-Technologie basierende Marktinfrastrukturen - A9-0240/2021 - Johan Van Overtveldt - Accord provisoire - Am 2 #

2022/03/24 Outcome: +: 527, 0: 31, -: 28
IT DE FR PL ES RO NL SE PT AT CZ BE HU BG HR SK IE FI DK EL LT LV EE LU SI CY MT
Total
66
77
65
45
52
28
25
19
19
17
16
18
14
11
11
12
13
13
12
16
9
6
7
5
4
5
1
icon: PPE PPE
151

Hungary PPE

1

Finland PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Slovenia PPE

2
2
icon: S&D S&D
118

Netherlands S&D

4

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Bulgaria S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

For (1)

1

Greece S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

Malta S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
87

Italy Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
3

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Bulgaria Renew

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Ireland Renew

2

Finland Renew

3

Lithuania Renew

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Slovenia Renew

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
63

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
52

Germany ECR

1

Romania ECR

1

Sweden ECR

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Belgium ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

1

Croatia ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: ID ID
51

Netherlands ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

2

Finland ID

2

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1
icon: NI NI
29

Germany NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Croatia NI

Abstain (1)

2

Slovakia NI

2
icon: The Left The Left
35

Germany The Left

3

Netherlands The Left

Against (1)

1

Sweden The Left

Against (1)

1

Portugal The Left

4

Czechia The Left

Against (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Against (1)

1

Ireland The Left

4

Finland The Left

Against (1)

1

Denmark The Left

Against (1)

1

Cyprus The Left

2

Régime pilote pour les infrastructures de marché reposant sur la technologie des registres distribués - Pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology - Pilotregelung für auf der Distributed-Ledger-Technologie basierende Marktinfrastrukturen - A9-0240/2021 - Johan Van Overtveldt - Accord provisoire - Am 2 #

2022/03/24 Outcome: +: 527, 0: 31, -: 28
IT DE FR PL ES RO NL SE PT AT CZ BE HU BG HR SK IE FI DK EL LT LV EE LU SI CY MT
Total
66
77
65
45
52
28
25
19
19
17
16
18
14
11
11
12
13
13
12
16
9
6
7
5
4
5
1
icon: PPE PPE
151

Hungary PPE

1

Finland PPE

2

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Latvia PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg PPE

2

Slovenia PPE

2
2
icon: S&D S&D
118

Netherlands S&D

4

Czechia S&D

For (1)

1

Bulgaria S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

For (1)

1

Greece S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

2

Latvia S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

1

Malta S&D

For (1)

1
icon: Renew Renew
87

Italy Renew

2

Poland Renew

1
3

Austria Renew

For (1)

1

Bulgaria Renew

2

Croatia Renew

For (1)

1

Ireland Renew

2

Finland Renew

3

Lithuania Renew

1

Latvia Renew

For (1)

1

Estonia Renew

3

Luxembourg Renew

2

Slovenia Renew

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
63

Poland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Spain Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

3

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Portugal Verts/ALE

1

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Czechia Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Ireland Verts/ALE

2

Finland Verts/ALE

3

Denmark Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: ECR ECR
52

Germany ECR

1

Romania ECR

1

Sweden ECR

For (1)

Abstain (1)

2

Belgium ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

1

Croatia ECR

1

Slovakia ECR

For (1)

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: ID ID
51

Netherlands ID

Against (1)

1

Austria ID

2

Finland ID

2

Denmark ID

Abstain (1)

1

Estonia ID

Abstain (1)

1
icon: NI NI
29

Germany NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Croatia NI

Abstain (1)

2

Slovakia NI

2
icon: The Left The Left
35

Germany The Left

3

Netherlands The Left

Against (1)

1

Sweden The Left

Against (1)

1

Portugal The Left

4

Czechia The Left

Against (1)

1

Belgium The Left

Against (1)

1

Ireland The Left

4

Finland The Left

Against (1)

1

Denmark The Left

Against (1)

1

Cyprus The Left

2
AmendmentsDossier
365 2020/0267(COD)
2021/05/26 ECON 365 amendments...
source: 693.549

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

docs/7
date
2021-08-05T00:00:00
docs
url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0240_EN.html title: A9-0240/2021
type
Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading
body
EP
docs/8
date
2021-12-21T00:00:00
docs
title: PE703.109
type
Text agreed during interinstitutional negotiations
body
EP
docs/9
date
2021-12-21T00:00:00
docs
title: PE703.109
type
Text agreed during interinstitutional negotiations
body
EP
docs/9/docs/0/url
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/commissions/econ/inag/2021/12-21/ECON_AG(2021)703109_EN.pdf
docs/10
date
2020-12-15T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.connefof.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594 title: COM(2020)0594
type
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CZ_CHAMBER
docs/10
date
2022-05-02T00:00:00
docs
url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=56961&j=0&l=en title: SP(2022)214
type
Commission response to text adopted in plenary
body
EC
docs/11
date
2021-05-09T00:00:00
docs
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type
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RO_SENATE
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date
2020-12-15T00:00:00
docs
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CZ_CHAMBER
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http://www.connefof.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594
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https://connectfolx.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594
docs/13
date
2021-05-09T00:00:00
docs
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type
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docs/13
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IT_CHAMBER
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http://www.connefof.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594
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https://connectfolx.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594
docs/14
date
2021-01-31T00:00:00
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https://connectfolx.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594
docs/15
date
2021-10-26T00:00:00
docs
url: http://www.connefof.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594 title: COM(2020)0594
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IT_CHAMBER
docs/15/docs/0/url
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https://connectfolx.europarl.europa.eu/connefof/app/exp/COM(2020)0594
events/4/summary
  • The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs adopted the report by Johan Van OVERTVEDT (ECR, BE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger.
  • The proposed regulation is part of a new package on digital finance. It aims to provide a mechanism for market infrastructures to experiment with the limited use of DLT (distributed ledger technology).
  • The envisaged pilot regime would temporarily exempt DLT market infrastructures from certain specific requirements imposed by EU financial services legislation that might otherwise prevent them from developing solutions for trading and settling transactions in crypto-assets that qualify as financial instruments, without weakening the existing requirements and safeguards applied to traditional market infrastructures.
  • The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:
  • Purpose and scope
  • The Regulation would establish the requirements for DLT market infrastructures and their operators who are granted specific authorisations to operate. A DLT market infrastructure would be defined as a DLT multilateral trading facility (DLT MTF), a DLT securities settlement system (DLT SSS) or a DLT trading and settlement system (DLT TSS).
  • Limitations on the financial instruments admitted to trading on or settled by a DLT market infrastructure
  • Only DLT financial instruments that meet the following conditions could be admitted to trading or listed on a DLT market infrastructure
  • - shares, the issuer of which has a market capitalisation or a tentative market capitalisation of less than EUR 200 million; or
  • - convertible bonds, covered bonds, corporate bonds, sovereign bonds and other bonds, with an issuance size of less than EUR 500 million;
  • - units of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and units of collective investment undertakings investing in the above-mentioned instruments with an issue volume of less than EUR 500 million.
  • Operators of a DLT SSS or of a DLT TSS may admit new financial instruments until the total market value of DLT financial instruments recorded in a DLT SSS or in a DLT TSS reaches EUR 5 billion.
  • In order to allow for competition, while at the same time preserving a level playing field and high standards in terms of investor protection, market integrity and financial stability, new entrants should also be able to access the pilot regime, provided that they ensure compliance with the same requirements as those applicable to authorised investment firms or market operators under Directive 2014/65/EU (MiFID) or those applicable to an authorised CSD under Regulation (EU) No 909/2014, in a manner proportionate to the nature, scale and risks of their business.
  • Additional requirements for DLT market infrastructures
  • DLT market infrastructure operators should establish a clear and detailed business plan describing how they intend to offer their services and conduct their business. They would remain at all times fully responsible for the services and activities they carry out under the Regulation, including the operation of the distributed registries deployed.
  • In addition, operators would have to establish transparent arrangements for investor protection and make available to customers complaint handling mechanisms and compensation or redress procedures in the event of investor detriment caused by serious deficiencies or termination of operations.
  • The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) could decide, on a case-by-case basis, to require the operator of a DLT market infrastructure to provide additional prudential safeguards in the form of capital or insurance.
  • Supervision and assessment
  • ESMA should have a direct supervisory mandate for granting a permission to a DLT market infrastructure and any exemptions across the Union under this Regulation.
  • In order to ensure effective cooperation and exchange of relevant information, ESMA could consult national competent authorities on the DLT market infrastructure operators authorised in their Member States. When assessing the applications and exemptions, ESMA should seek to ensure financial stability, market integrity, investor protection and fair competition in the single market.
  • ESMA should publish annual interim reports to enable market participants to better understand the functioning and evolution of markets, and to clarify the application of the pilot regime. It should also provide one or more secure communication channels for reporting breaches of the Regulation.
  • Lastly, ESMA should provide the Commission with an early stocktaking report no later than three years from the date of entry into force of the Regulation and, if the regime prescribed in this Regulation is not made permanent by modifications to relevant Union financial
  • services legislation by then, a final report by five years from the entry into application of this Regulation.
events/7/docs
  • url: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/commissions/econ/inag/2021/12-21/ECON_AG(2021)703109_EN.pdf title: PE703.109
events/9
date
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  • The European Parliament adopted by 527 votes to 28, with 31 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology.
  • The proposal for a regulation on a pilot scheme for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT) aims to provide legal certainty and flexibility for market participants wishing to operate a DLT market infrastructure by establishing uniform requirements for the operation of DLTs.
  • The European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amends the Commission's proposal as follows:
  • Subject matter and scope
  • The pilot regime lays down the conditions for acquiring permission to operate a DLT market infrastructure, defines which DLT financial instruments can be traded and details the cooperation between the operators of DLT market infrastructures, national competent authorities and ESMA.
  • The DLT pilot regime aims to test the development of the European infrastructure for trading, clearing and settlement of DLT-based financial instruments. Crypto-assets are one of the main DLT applications for finance. Distributed ledger, broadly defined, is a consensually shared database through which a transaction is validated.
  • The concept of DLT market infrastructure comprises DLT multilateral trading facilities (DLT MTF), DLT settlement systems (DLT SS) and DLT trading and settlement systems (DLT TSS).
  • Limitations on the financial instruments admitted to trading or recorded on DLT market infrastructure
  • DLT financial instruments should only be admitted to trading on a DLT market infrastructure, or be recorded on a DLT market infrastructure, if, at the moment of admission to trading or the moment of recording on a distributed ledger, the DLT financial instruments are:
  • - shares, the issuer of which has a market capitalisation, or a tentative market capitalisation, of less than EUR 500 million ;
  • - bonds, other forms of securitised debt, including depositary receipts in respect of such securities, or money market instruments, with an issue size of less than EUR 1 billion , excluding those that embed a derivative or incorporate a structure which makes it difficult for the client to understand the risk involved; or
  • - units in collective investment undertakings covered by Directive 2014/65/EU, the market value of the assets under management of which is less than EUR 500 million.
  • The aggregate market value of all the DLT financial instruments that are admitted to trading on a DLT market infrastructure or that are recorded on a DLT market infrastructure shall not exceed EUR 6 billion at the moment of admission to trading, or initial recording, of a new DLT financial instrument.
  • Additional requirements for DLT market infrastructures
  • Operators of a DLT market infrastructure should:
  • - establish clear and detailed business plans in which they describe how they intend to provide their services and conduct their business, including a description of personnel in critical staff, technical aspects and the use of distributed ledger technology;
  • - make available to the public up-to-date, clear and detailed written documentation setting out the rules for the operation of DLT market infrastructures and their operators;
  • - set the rules for the operation of the distributed ledger technology they use, in order to ensure investor protection, market integrity and financial stability;
  • - provide their members, participants, issuers and customers with clear and unambiguous information on their websites about the way in which operators perform their functions, services and activities;
  • - ensure that all IT and cybersecurity arrangements related to the use of their distributed ledger technology are proportionate to the nature, scale and complexity of their business;
  • - put in place specific operational risk management procedures for the risks associated with the use of distributed ledger technology and crypto-assets and for how to address these risks if they materalise.
  • Consumer protection
  • In the event of a loss of funds, a loss of collateral or a loss of a DLT financial instrument, the operator of a DLT market infrastructure that lost the funds, collateral or DLT financial instrument should be liable for the loss , up to the market value of the asset lost, unless it proves that the loss arose as a result of an external event beyond its reasonable control.
  • Operators of DLT market infrastructure should establish transparent and adequate arrangements to ensure investor protection and should establish mechanisms for handling client complaints and procedures for compensation or redress in cases of investor loss as a result of any of the unavoidable circumstances.
  • Supervision
  • National competent authorities will remain in charge for the authorisation while the ESMA can issue an opinion on the application for authorisation to operate an DLT MTFs and DLT SSs. The opinion would be non-public and non-binding but an explanation would be needed in case the national competent authorities decide to significantly deviate from it.
  • This pilot scheme will be in place for three years , after which the Commission, based on ESMA's advice, should report to the Council and Parliament on the costs and benefits of extending, amending or abolishing it.
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  • The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs adopted the report by Johan Van OVERTVEDT (ECR, BE) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger.
  • The proposed regulation is part of a new package on digital finance. It aims to provide a mechanism for market infrastructures to experiment with the limited use of DLT (distributed ledger technology).
  • The envisaged pilot regime would temporarily exempt DLT market infrastructures from certain specific requirements imposed by EU financial services legislation that might otherwise prevent them from developing solutions for trading and settling transactions in crypto-assets that qualify as financial instruments, without weakening the existing requirements and safeguards applied to traditional market infrastructures.
  • The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:
  • Purpose and scope
  • The Regulation would establish the requirements for DLT market infrastructures and their operators who are granted specific authorisations to operate. A DLT market infrastructure would be defined as a DLT multilateral trading facility (DLT MTF), a DLT securities settlement system (DLT SSS) or a DLT trading and settlement system (DLT TSS).
  • Limitations on the financial instruments admitted to trading on or settled by a DLT market infrastructure
  • Only DLT financial instruments that meet the following conditions could be admitted to trading or listed on a DLT market infrastructure
  • - shares, the issuer of which has a market capitalisation or a tentative market capitalisation of less than EUR 200 million; or
  • - convertible bonds, covered bonds, corporate bonds, sovereign bonds and other bonds, with an issuance size of less than EUR 500 million;
  • - units of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and units of collective investment undertakings investing in the above-mentioned instruments with an issue volume of less than EUR 500 million.
  • Operators of a DLT SSS or of a DLT TSS may admit new financial instruments until the total market value of DLT financial instruments recorded in a DLT SSS or in a DLT TSS reaches EUR 5 billion.
  • In order to allow for competition, while at the same time preserving a level playing field and high standards in terms of investor protection, market integrity and financial stability, new entrants should also be able to access the pilot regime, provided that they ensure compliance with the same requirements as those applicable to authorised investment firms or market operators under Directive 2014/65/EU (MiFID) or those applicable to an authorised CSD under Regulation (EU) No 909/2014, in a manner proportionate to the nature, scale and risks of their business.
  • Additional requirements for DLT market infrastructures
  • DLT market infrastructure operators should establish a clear and detailed business plan describing how they intend to offer their services and conduct their business. They would remain at all times fully responsible for the services and activities they carry out under the Regulation, including the operation of the distributed registries deployed.
  • In addition, operators would have to establish transparent arrangements for investor protection and make available to customers complaint handling mechanisms and compensation or redress procedures in the event of investor detriment caused by serious deficiencies or termination of operations.
  • The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) could decide, on a case-by-case basis, to require the operator of a DLT market infrastructure to provide additional prudential safeguards in the form of capital or insurance.
  • Supervision and assessment
  • ESMA should have a direct supervisory mandate for granting a permission to a DLT market infrastructure and any exemptions across the Union under this Regulation.
  • In order to ensure effective cooperation and exchange of relevant information, ESMA could consult national competent authorities on the DLT market infrastructure operators authorised in their Member States. When assessing the applications and exemptions, ESMA should seek to ensure financial stability, market integrity, investor protection and fair competition in the single market.
  • ESMA should publish annual interim reports to enable market participants to better understand the functioning and evolution of markets, and to clarify the application of the pilot regime. It should also provide one or more secure communication channels for reporting breaches of the Regulation.
  • Lastly, ESMA should provide the Commission with an early stocktaking report no later than three years from the date of entry into force of the Regulation and, if the regime prescribed in this Regulation is not made permanent by modifications to relevant Union financial
  • services legislation by then, a final report by five years from the entry into application of this Regulation.
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  • PURPOSE: to establish a common EU pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology (DLT).
  • PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.
  • ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the European Parliament decides in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and on an equal footing with the Council.
  • BACKGROUND: this proposal is part of the Digital Finance package, a package of measures to further enable and support the potential of digital finance in terms of innovation and competition while mitigating the risks. The digital finance package includes a new Strategy on digital finance for the EU financial sector with the aim to ensure that the Union’s financial services legislation is fit for the digital age, and contributes to a future-ready economy that works for the people, including by enabling the use of innovative technologies. The Union has a stated and confirmed policy interest in developing and promoting the uptake of transformative technologies in the financial sector, including blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT).
  • This package also includes a proposal for a proposal on crypto-asset markets, a proposal for digital operational resilience, and a proposal to clarify or amend certain related EU financial services rules.
  • CONTENT: the Commission seeks to propose a pilot regime for market infrastructures that wish to try to trade and settle transactions in financial instruments in crypto-asset form. The regime follows the ‘sandbox’ approach which allows for temporary derogations from some specific requirements under the Union financial services legislation that could otherwise prevent them from developing solutions for the trading and settlement of transactions in crypto-assets that qualify as financial instruments.
  • This proposed Regulation on a pilot regime for market infrastructures based on distributed ledger technology seeks to provide legal certainty and flexibility for market participants who wish to operate a DLT market infrastructure by establishing uniform requirements for operating these.
  • Permissions granted under this Regulation shall allow market participants to operate a DLT market infrastructure and to provide their services across all Member States.
  • Scope
  • The proposal establishes operating conditions for DLT market infrastructures, permission to make use of them and the supervision and cooperation of competent authorities and ESMA. It shall apply to market participants (either investment firms, market operators or central securities depositories, CSDs).
  • Limitations on the transferable securities admitted to trading on or settled by a DLT market infrastructure
  • The proposal sets out the limitations in terms of DLT transferable securities that can be admitted to trading on, or recorded by, DLT market infrastructures. For shares, the market capitalisation or the tentative market capitalisation of the issuer of DLT transferable securities should be less than EUR 200 million; for public bonds other than sovereign bonds, covered bonds and corporate bonds the limit is EUR 500 million.
  • DLT market infrastructures shall not admit to trading or record sovereign bonds.
  • In addition, the total market value of DLT transferable securities recorded by a CSD operating a DLT securities settlement system, or by a DLT MTF where allowed to record such DLT transferable securities, shall not exceed EUR 2.5 billion.
  • Additional requirements on DLT market infrastructures
  • Additional requirements are laid down to address the novel forms of risks raised using DLT. DLT market infrastructures must provide all members, participants, clients and investors with clear and unambiguous information on how they carry out their functions, services and activities.
  • DLT market infrastructures must also ensure that overall IT and cyber arrangements related to the use of DLT are adequate. Where the business model of a DLT market infrastructure involves the safekeeping of clients’ funds or DLT transferable securities, or the means to access these, they must have adequate arrangements to safeguard such assets.
  • Cooperation between operators of DLT market infrastructures, competent authorities and ESMA
  • It is proposed that DLT market infrastructures must inform competent authorities and ESMA of, for example: proposed material changes to their business plan including critical staff, evidence of hacking, fraud or other serious malpractice, material changes in the information contained in the initial application, technical or operational difficulties in delivering activities or services covered under the permission and any risks to investor protection, market integrity or financial stability that may have arisen and were not foreseen at the time the permission was given.
  • Where notified of such information, the competent authority may request the DLT market infrastructure to submit an application for another permission, exemption or take any corrective measure it deems appropriate.
  • In addition, the DLT market infrastructure shall produce and submit a report to the competent authority and ESMA detailing all of the information above including potential difficulties in applying EU financial services legislation.
  • Reporting
  • At the latest after a five-year period, ESMA shall produce a detailed report on the pilot regime to the Commission. On the basis of ESMA’s assessment, the Commission will produce a report including a cost-benefit analysis on whether the pilot regime should be maintained as it is or amended, whether it should be extended to new categories of financial instruments, whether targeted amendments to EU legislation should be considered to enable a widespread use of DLT and whether the pilot regime should be terminated.
  • Budgetary implications
  • This proposal holds implications in terms of costs and administrative burden for national competent authorities and the European Securities and Markets Authority. The magnitude and distribution of these costs will depend on the precise requirements placed on DLT market infrastructures and the related supervisory and monitoring tasks. The estimated supervisory costs for each Member State (including staff, training, IT infrastructure) can range from EUR 150 000 to EUR 250 000 per year per DLT market infrastructure.
  • For ESMA, the estimated cost in relation to review and coordination are estimated at EUR 150 000-EUR 300 000 in total. These costs shall be covered by ESMA’s operating budget, which shall be increased.
  • In addition, ESMA is expected to maintain a register of DLT market infrastructures in operation, the costs related to this are considered to be covered by the costs relating to the maintenance of the register.