EU Banking Regulator Worries It Can’t Find the Staff to Regulate Crypto: Report

José Manuel Campa, chair of the European Banking Authority, told the Financial Times he is worried the agency does not yet have the capacity to supervise digital assets.

AccessTimeIconJul 27, 2022 at 8:43 a.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 3:35 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

The European Union’s banking regulator is worried about how it will enforce new crypto rules that are expected to take effect by 2025, according to the Financial Times.

European Banking Authority Chair José Manuel Campa said the agency does not yet have the capacity to supervise digital assets. A major concern is hiring and retaining the specialized staff required because there is a high demand for crypto talent, he told the FT in an interview published Wednesday.

The EU recently finalized its Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) legislation, which has a heavy focus on stablecoins and will be applied across all 27 member nations. There is still a long journey before the details are put into law. Once they are, some details will need to be fleshed out and more rules could come. Campa told the FT that in three years crypto may have "moved and transformed into other uses that I cannot anticipate."

The EBA is worried about planning the logistics of enforcing its new powers because it won’t know which cryptocurrencies it will supervise till 2025 nears, Campa told the FT.

"My concern is more about making sure the risk we have identified ... is properly managed. If we don't do as well as we should have, we'll have to live with the consequences," he said.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

Camomile Shumba

Camomile Shumba is a CoinDesk regulatory reporter based in the UK. She previously worked as an intern for Business Insider and Bloomberg News. She does not currently hold value in any digital currencies or projects.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.