ESMA’s Conference 2026: A new era for EU capital markets
Marking ESMA’s 15-year anniversary, the conference will bring together senior policymakers, regulators, leaders of major market infrastructures and financial institutions, as well as investor representatives.
📅 21 May 2026 📍 Paris, France
Discussions will focus on how to deepen market integration, strengthen supervision and improve the investor journey in support of the Savings and Investments Union (SIU).
Panels
Deepening market integration through public and private sector efforts
This panel will look at how public and private actors can address fragmentation in the EU’s trading and post‑trading landscape, including the implications for liquidity, costs and competitiveness. It will consider recent reforms and explore practical solutions –including innovative approaches and the role of new technologies – to support a more integrated single Capital Market.
Strengthening supervision – reform in motion
As the SIU advances and the new market integration and supervision proposals are discussed, this panel will examine how an expanded and more convergent supervisory framework can enhance risk oversight and consistency across key cross‑border market players. It will explore how ESMA’s evolving mandates can be implemented effectively and how EU‑level and national perspectives can be combined to support safe and efficient markets.
Rethinking the investor journey – building trust and access
This panel will focus on how to make capital markets more attractive and accessible for investors, including through digitalisation, simpler products and better savings and investment options. It will also reflect on how to build and maintain trust, drawing on perspectives from supervisors, the industry and consumer organisations.
Speakers
- Maria Luís Albuquerque, Commissioner for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union, European Commission
- Marie‑Anne Barbat‑Layani, Chair, Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)
- Roland Chai, President of European Market Services, Nasdaq
- Francesco Ceccato, Chief Executive Officer, Barclays Europe
- Christian Hecker, CEO, Trade Republic
- Kyriakos Pierrakakis, President of the Eurogroup
- Stephan Leithner, CEO, Deutsche Börse AG
- Ann Prendergast, State Street
- Corentine Poilvet‑Clédière, CEO, LCH
- Augustin Reyna, Director General, BEUC
- Verena Ross, Chair, ESMA
- David Schwimmer, CEO, London Stock Exchange Group
- Valérie Urbain, CEO, Euroclear
- Laura van Geest, Chair of the Executive Board, Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM)