Ireland: Investment Funds Update - April 2026

Drawing on insights from our Asset Management & Financial Services Regulation team, this edition highlights the most significant updates from the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), ESMA, the European Commission and AMLA, helping firms anticipate regulatory expectations and respond effectively to an increasingly complex operating environment.

Key themes covered in this update include:

• Central Bank supervisory priorities and regulatory expectations – including updates from the CBI’s Markets Updates, the 2026 Regulatory and Supervisory Outlook and developments under the Fitness and Probity regime.
• AIFMD II and loan origination frameworks – with guidance on the streamlined authorisation process for AIFMs engaging in loan origination activities.
• Technology, innovation and digital finance – covering the CBI’s discussion paper on DLT and tokenisation, alongside supervisory perspectives on AI and algorithmic trading.
• Sustainability and ESG developments – including ESMA’s thematic guidance on sustainability‑related claims, progress on SFDR 2.0 reform proposals and simplification under the CSRD and CSDDD Omnibus Directive.
• Liquidity, risk and market infrastructure reforms – summarising ESMA’s Guidelines on Liquidity Management Tools, EMIR 3.0 active account requirements and ISDA SIMM validation arrangements.
• Cross‑border distribution and conduct standards – highlighting ESMA’s latest findings on fund marketing communications, consumer protection enhancements and MiFID‑related changes.
• EU‑wide regulatory convergence initiatives – including developments from ESMA, AMLA and the European Commission aimed at improving supervisory consistency, market integration and investor protection.

Our analysis is designed to support asset managers, fund boards and service providers as they navigate evolving regulatory requirements in Ireland and across the EU, while maintaining robust governance, investor focus and operational resilience.

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