Post by Kristjan Verbič

As a member of the Consultative Working Group of the Investor Protection Standing Committee of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), I attended yesterday the Annual ESMA 2026 Retail Investor Protection Workshop, which the EU's Financial Markets Regulator & Supervisor organizes for representatives of consumer associations.   During the full-day meeting, we discussed ESMA's Work and Reports regarding costs of investing in #UCITS (Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) & #AIFs (Alternative Investment Funds); #AI Artificial Intelligence; #Crowdfunding; Frauds & Scams, and #RIS (Retail Investment Strategy) update.   BETTER FINANCE - European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users presented Neo-brokers’ Securities Lending Programmes, and Deutsche Schutzvereinigung für Wertpapierbesitz e.V. (DSW) - Germany's leading organization for private investors - presented #MiCAR (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation). Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani, catherine Balençon, Florian Beckermann, Jella Benner-Heinacher, Jana Brodani, CLAUDIO CACCIAMANI, Monica Calu, Jean-Philippe Cavrois, Sébastien Commain, Roberta D'Apice, Natalia de Santiago, Anna Maria Eskelin, Miguel Garcia de Eulate, 🌱Claire Berthilliot-Glaser, Christiane Hölz, Tomas Jägenstedt, Pilar Lluesma Rodrigo, Aleksandra Mączyńska, Marcus Mecklenburg, Martin Molko, Peter Norwood, Aleksandra Palinska, Claudia Rausi, Franz Rudorfer, David Sabatini, Andreas Stepnitzka, Kristjan Verbič