ESMA publishes its 2020 annual report on the EU market abuse sanctions

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s securities markets regulator, has today published its annual report on administrative and criminal sanctions, as well as other administrative measures, issued across the European Union under the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) in 2020. The Report found that National Competent Authorities (NCAs) and other authorities imposed a total of €17.5 million in fines related to 541 administrative and criminal actions under MAR.

The Report describes an increase in the number of administrative sanctions and measures in 2020 compared to 2019, reaching 541 from 279 the preceding year. However, it also found that the financial penalties imposed are significantly lower, reaching only €17.5 million in 2020, compared to €82 million in 2019.

The number of criminal sanctions, and their aggregated value, also decreased compared to 2019: only 18 criminal sanctions were imposed across the EU with economic sanctions worth €246,000.

Next steps

The Report will help ESMA’s ongoing work in fostering supervisory convergence in the application of the MAR and contribute to ESMA’s goal to develop an EU outcome-focused supervisory and enforcement culture.

Further information:

Dan Nacu-Manole

Communications Officer

✆   +33 (0)1 58 36