The EBA and ESMA analyse recent developments in crypto-assets

January 16, 2025--The European Banking Authority (EBA) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) today published a Joint Report on recent developments in crypto-assets, analysing decentralised finance (DeFi) and crypto lending, borrowing and staking. This publication is the EBA and ESMA's contribution to the European Commission’s report to the European Parliament and Council under Article 142 of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR).

EBA and ESMA find that DeFi remains a niche phenomenon, with value locked in DeFi protocols representing 4% of all crypto-asset market value at the global level. The report also sets out that EU adoption of DeFi, while above the global average, is lower than other developed economies (e.g. the US, South Korea).

The EBA and ESMA observe that the number of DeFi hacks and the value of stolen crypto-assets has generally evolved in correlation with the DeFi market size. Since flows on decentralised exchanges represent 10% of spot crypto trading volumes globally, DeFi protocols present significant risks of money laundering and terrorist financing (ML/TF).

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Source: esma.europa.eu