Crypto & Digital Assets Regulations in Ireland

🇮🇪 CBI News medium

March 19th 2026

Issue 3 2026

No description available.

Sectors:

Topics:

Prudential / Capital Requirements Technology & Cyber Authorisation & Licensing

BankBroker DealerCrypto Exchange

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🇮🇪 CBI Warning medium

March 10th 2026

Remarks by Gerry Cross, Director of Capital Markets & Funds - CASP Industry Briefing

Introduction Good morning. I am delighted to welcome you to Central Bank of Ireland today as part of our continued engagement with the crypto sector. This time last year we hosted an industry briefing focused on the path to success in the authorisation of Crypto-Asset Service Providers (CASPs). It has been a very active 12 months, and today I see many of you in the room from newly authorised CASPs who have come through the process successfully. This morning’s event is an excellent opportunity...

Sectors:

Crypto & Digital Assets

Topics:

Authorisation & Licensing Operational Resilience / Outsourcing Consumer Protection / Conduct

Crypto ExchangeFintech

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🇮🇪 CBI Consultation medium

March 5th 2026

Central Bank of Ireland Launches Discussion Paper on Tokenisation and Distributed Ledger Technology in Financial Services

Central Bank of Ireland today published a Discussion Paper examining the potential role of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and tokenisation in the financial system . Deputy Governor Vasileios Madouros, commenting on the publication, said: “Distributed ledger technology and tokenisation have the potential to transform how financial services are delivered. We believe this technology, if enabled and deployed correctly, can change the financial system for the better, including by helping the ...

AI Analysis

The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) has launched Discussion Paper 12 (DP12) on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and tokenisation in financial services to explore their transformative potential in areas like markets, funds, payments, and money, while assessing opportunities, risks, and enablers such as legal clarity and interoperability. This matters for compliance professionals as it signals CBI's proactive stance on integrating these technologies into a resilient financial system, aligning with EU ambitions like the Savings and Investment Union, and invites stakeholder input to shape future policy without proposing immediate rules. (Source: https://www.centralbank.ie/news/article/press-release-discussion-paper-tokenisation-and-distributed-ledger-technology-in-financial-services-5-march-26 [publication]; https://www.arthurcox.com/insights/central-bank-issues-discussion-paper-on-dlt-tokenisation-in-financial-services/ )

What Changed

This is a non-binding discussion paper, not a regulatory change or new requirement; it poses 16 questions on topics including legal recognition of tokenised instruments, governance, infrastructure, funds (e.g., tokenised MMFs and ETFs), payments, and risks like operational resilience and interoperability. It highlights needs for policy intervention to avoid fragmented "walled gardens," ensure central bank money's role, and address challenges in fractionalisation, transparency, and settlement finality, but no mandates are imposed yet.

What You Need To Do

Review DP12 (PDF available via CBI site) and prepare/ submit responses to the 16 questions by 5 June 2026, focusing on legal clarity, risks, funds tokenisation, and enablers like interoperability
Engage in CBI's structured stakeholder dialogues to influence future frameworks
Assess internal DLT/tokenisation pilots or plans against discussed risks (e
No immediate compliance obligations, but monitor for follow-up rules; funds firms should evaluate tokenised share/unit models

Key Dates

5 June 2026 - Deadline for stakeholder submissions responding to the 16 questions in DP12. DEADLINE

Post-5 June 2026 - CBI to publish a feedback statement assessing responses and existing policy fit. (Source: https://www.centralbank.ie/news/article/press-release-discussion-paper-tokenisation-and-distributed-ledger-technology-in-financial-services-5-march-26 [publication]; https://www.arthurcox.com/insights/central-bank-issues-discussion-paper-on-dlt-tokenisation-in-financial-services/ )

Compliance Impact

Urgency: Medium – This consultative paper poses no immediate rules but represents a key opportunity to shape emerging DLT/tokenisation regulation amid CBI's 2026 priorities on tech-driven transformations and resilience; inaction risks missing input on critical enablers like legal finality for tokens, potentially leading to stricter future requirements misaligned with firm needs. It aligns with broader EU/BIS pushes (e.g., MiCA, tokenized reserves), amplifying relevance for firms in funds, payments, and crypto.

References

Sectors:

Investment Management Capital Markets & Trading Crypto & Digital Assets Payments & E-Money

Topics:

Technology & Cyber Operational Resilience / Outsourcing Authorisation & Licensing

Asset ManagerBankFintech

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🇮🇪 CBI News

December 5th 2025

The Digital Euro: shaping the future while preserving trust

In this blog, Governor Gabriel Makhlouf writes about the development of the Digital Euro and how central banks foster trust and safety in the financial system and in the implementation of projects like the Digital Euro.

Sectors:

Banking & Credit Payments & E-Money Crypto & Digital Assets

Topics:

Consumer Protection / Conduct Prudential / Capital Requirements Technology & Cyber

BankFintechCrypto Exchange

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🇮🇪 CBI Enforcement high

November 6th 2025

The Central Bank takes enforcement action against Coinbase Europe Limited for anti-money laundering failures

The Central Bank of Ireland has fined Coinbase Europe Limited €21,464,734 for breaching its anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing transaction monitoring obligations between 2021 and 2025. The Central Bank of Ireland (the Central Bank) has fined Coinbase Europe Limited (Coinbase Europe) €21,464,734 for breaching its anti-money laundering (AML) and combatting terrorist financing (CFT) obligations with respect to transaction monitoring as required by the Criminal Justice (Money L...

AI Analysis

The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) fined Coinbase Europe Limited €21,464,734 for AML/CFT transaction monitoring failures under the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010 (CJA 2010), involving over 30 million unmonitored transactions worth €176 billion from April 2021 to March 2025. This marks CBI's first enforcement against a crypto firm, highlighting regulators' focus on robust real-time monitoring and timely Suspicious Transaction Reporting (STR) for virtual asset service providers (VASPs). It matters as it sets a precedent for EU crypto compliance amid MiCA and AMLA implementation, signaling increased scrutiny and potential multimillion-euro penalties for similar lapses.