ESMA Cautions Crypto Investors After Market Sheds 70%, Says No Bailout for Investors

Chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), Verena Ross, recently cautioned investors against investing in the cryptocurrency industry after the market shed over 70% in the ongoing crash.

Warning that the possibility of a European bailout for struggling crypto investors was out of the picture, Ross noted:

“We already warned earlier this year . . . about the serious risks retail investors were taking investing in some of the crypto assets.”

ESMA to Oversee Licensing of Crypto Asset Service Providers in Europe from 2023

The ESMA was given the responsibility of licensing crypto asset service providers in the recent provisional agreement on the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) proposal in Brussels. The approved role will take effect from mid-2023 and has an 18-month implementation period.

That said, the European regulator will have the authority to ban or restrict crypto service providers if it deems them incapable of effectively protecting investors or threatens market integrity or financial stability.

The ESMA boss further expressed her distress with small investors losing their investments, highlighting that the global crypto market has shed over 70% in the past year. The crypto market recently recorded one of its worst sell-offs in history, following the Terra meltdown, which wiped numerous investors clean. Ross asserted: “I think there is a real question about whether many of these [crypto assets] will survive.” This statement mirrored similar comments declared by US SEC Chair Gary Gensler after he warned that many crypto tokens would fail following the Terra crash.

The ESMA boss further noted:

“I hope that some of these investors will see this and will take a cautionary lesson at least to think about how much of their money they invest in these kinds of assets.”

Earlier this year, the ESMA and other top European financial regulators warned consumers that “many crypto assets are highly risky and speculative,” adding that investors “face the very real possibility of losing all their invested money if they buy these assets.”

The economist further noted:

“We have all said that this is something that is not currently regulated, not something where there is any control over the providers … We know there is a lot of fraud and aggressive marketing going on.”