European Union: Securities

The European Securities and Markets Authority has endorsed proposed amendments to regulatory technical standards that will significantly streamline reporting requirements for share buy-back programmes under the Market Abuse Regulation. These changes will allow Maltese issuers to report transactions on an aggregate basis only, eliminating the need for individual transaction reporting to both competent authorities and the public. The amendments represent a substantial reduction in regulatory burden and will r

A critical deadline looms for European issuers with securities traded outside the EU, as a key grandfathering clause under the CSD Regulation expires on 17 January 2027. Without timely regulatory action, third-country central securities depositories like DTC may be forced to suspend services to affected EU issuers, potentially disrupting trading in their equity and debt instruments on international markets.

Luxembourg's Finance Ministry has launched an investigation into former Gazprombank Luxembourg managers over allegations of sanctions circumvention and potential insider trading. The probe centers on a sophisticated bond-trading scheme that allegedly exploited EU sanctions through transactions between Luxembourg and Russia.

France has reformed its foreign direct investment regime, broadening the scope of the 10% voting-rights threshold to capture French entities listed on nearly all regulated markets worldwide. The changes, effective August 17, 2026, extend FDI notification requirements to include major third-country exchanges through EU equivalence decisions and six specifically named markets, significantly expanding the reach of French investment screening for non-European investors.

Two delegated regulations relating to the Listing Act changes to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) have been published in the Official Journal of the EU.

Malta's capital markets are seeing increased share buy-back activity, but regulatory frameworks designed for large liquid exchanges create significant obstacles for small markets. Can local regulators establish accepted market practices that balance market integrity with the practical realities of supporting liquidity in a small jurisdiction?

Evidence of this is readily available in the U.S., where Novo Nordisk is currently facing multiple class action lawsuits from investors alleging disclosure failures relating to GLP-1 products and the weight-loss drug CagriSema.

The EU Green Bond Regulation reaches a critical juncture on 21 June 2026 when the transitional regime for external reviewers ends and mandatory ESMA registration becomes operational. This shift transforms the European Green Bond framework from a soft-launch phase into a fully regulated system with strict compliance requirements, ongoing supervision, and enhanced investor protections. Market participants must understand how these changes affect issuers, external reviewers, and the broader sustainable finance

The Malta Financial Services Authority has launched a consultation examining whether distributed ledger technology can be integrated into Malta's financial ecosystem for tokenising financial instruments and real-world assets. The regulator seeks industry input on priority asset classes for pilots, infrastructural readiness including token registries and smart-contract audits, and legal issues surrounding ownership and settlement finality.