Central Bank of Ireland Issues 2026 Regulatory and Supervisory Outlook, Ireland, February 2026

The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) published its 2026 Regulatory and Supervisory Outlook (RSO) on 26 February 2026. The RSO identifies the CBI's supervisory priorities for the year across all regulated sectors, including crypto-asset service providers (CASPs) authorised or registered under the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. The document is the CBI's annual supervisory guidance publication; it is not a legislative instrument and does not impose new statutory obligations.

The CBI's supervisory authority over CASPs derives from its designation as the national competent authority under MiCA for Ireland. Under MiCA Title V (Articles 59–76), CASPs operating in Ireland require CBI authorisation. The 2026 RSO signals that the CBI will prioritise examination of CASPs' compliance with MiCA authorisation conditions, governance requirements, and client asset protection obligations during the 2026 supervisory cycle.

CASPs authorised by the CBI under MiCA, firms seeking CBI authorisation in 2026, and crypto exchanges or custodians passporting into other EU Member States via the CBI authorisation must treat the 2026 RSO as a statement of the CBI's enforcement focus areas. Firms with open authorisation applications should expect the CBI to scrutinise MiCA-compliant governance structures and client fund segregation arrangements. Firms already authorised should review internal compliance programs against the RSO's stated supervisory themes to reduce examination risk.

The RSO is a supervisory guidance document and does not create binding legal obligations beyond what MiCA already imposes. CASPs registered under the pre-MiCA Irish registration regime (Virtual Asset Service Providers under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010, as amended) must confirm their transition status to full MiCA authorisation, as MiCA's transitional provisions for existing registered firms expire according to each Member State's selected grandfathering period under MiCA Article 143.

Source: Central Bank of Ireland, "Central Bank sets out its Regulatory and Supervisory Outlook for 2026," Press Release, 26 February 2026. Official URL: https://www.centralbank.ie/news/article/press-release-central-bank-sets-out-its-regulatory-and-supervisory-priorities-26-february-2026. Confirmed: 4 March 2026.

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