AFME Voices

In this special live recording of AFME Voices from AFME's Compliance & Legal Conference 2026, AFME's James Kemp speaks with Natasha Cazenave, Executive Director of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), about the opportunities and challenges shaping Europe's financial markets.A key focus of the discussion is the EU's Savings and Investment Union (SIU) initiative and the steps needed to mobilise savings, deepen capital markets and support investment across Europe. Natasha outlines ESMA's role in supporting market integration, reducing fragmentation and enabling firms to operate more seamlessly across the Single Market.The conversation also explores the growing importance of regulatory simplification, with a focus on streamlining reporting requirements, risk-based supervision and improving the investor journey. Looking ahead, Natasha shares her views on the future of tokenisation and digital finance, the opportunities presented by distributed ledger technology, and the regulatory questions that still need to be addressed.The episode concludes with reflections on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, operational resilience, EU-UK cooperation and the priorities compliance and legal professionals should be focusing on as financial markets continue to evolve.Topics discussed:Savings and Investment Union (SIU)Capital markets integration and competitivenessRegulatory simplification and reporting reformESMA's supervisory approachTokenisation and digital financeArtificial intelligence and cybersecurityT+1 settlement preparationsEU-UK regulatory cooperationMarket resilience in an increasingly complex environment🔗 Additional ResourcesLearn more about ESMA: https://www.esma.europa.euFollow AFME on LinkedIn.Follow AFME on X.For more AFME Voices episodes, visit: https://www.afme.eu/news-insights/afme-voices

Episode Notes In this special live recording of AFME Voices from the European Financial Integration conference 2026, Rodrigo Buenaventura, Secretary General of International Organization of Securities Commissions, joins Jacqueline Mills, Head of Advocacy at Association for Financial Markets in Europe, for a discussion on the evolving global capital markets landscape. The conversation explores a range of themes shaping financial markets today, including capital market development and the outlook for IPO activity, the role of supervisory convergence in supporting global markets, and the importance of maintaining financial market resilience amid continued uncertainty. The episode also looks ahead to emerging trends and regulatory priorities, including the growing impact of artificial intelligence and the increasing focus on tokenisation across financial services.   🔗 Additional Resources Learn more about IOSCO: IOSCO Follow AFME on LinkedIn: AFME LinkedIn Follow AFME on X (Twitter): @AFME_EU

In this episode of AFME Voices, AFME Chief Executive Officer Adam Farkas joins Elisabeth Mauguy, Media Relations and Digital Content Manager on the podcast to discuss the growing momentum behind the EU’s regulatory simplification agenda. As policymakers increasingly focus on competitiveness and growth, the conversation explores what simplification means in practice for Europe’s capital markets and where the current framework may have become unnecessarily complex. The discussion considers how layers of regulation have accumulated over time, the potential areas where targeted streamlining could improve efficiency, and why maintaining strong financial stability standards remains central to the debate. 🔗 Additional Resources Learn more about AFME’s work on simplification: https://www.afme.eu/our-work/simplification/  Follow AFME on LinkedIn: AFME LinkedIn Follow AFME on X (Twitter): @AFME_EU

In this episode of AFME Voices, Elisabeth Mauguy, AFME’s Digital Content Manager, is joined by Marcus Corry, Director, Technology & Operations at AFME. Together, they discuss the key issues highlighted in AFME’s response to the Digital Omnibus Package, including the challenges of overlapping frameworks, operational risks of centralised reporting, and opportunities to make Europe’s digital rules more efficient for the financial sector.🔗 Additional ResourcesLearn more about AFME’s work: https://www.afme.eu/our-work/digital-innovationFollow AFME on LinkedIn: AFME LinkedInFollow AFME on X (Twitter): @AFME_EU

In this episode of AFME Voices, Elisabeth Mauguy, AFME’s Digital Content Manager, is joined by Pete Tomlinson, Managing Director of Equities Trading & Post Trade at AFME. Together, they unpack the key findings of AFME’s recent study on CSDs and discuss what steps can be taken in the short and longer term to strengthen Europe’s financial backbone.🔗 Additional ResourcesLearn more about AFME’s work: https://www.afme.eu/Follow AFME on LinkedIn: AFME LinkedInFollow AFME on X (Twitter): @AFME_EU