The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s financial markets regulator and supervisor, today launched a consultation on the criteria for the assessment of knowledge and competence of crypto-asset service providers’ (CASPs) staff giving information or advice on crypto-assets or crypto-asset services.

ESMA is seeking stakeholder inputs about, notably:

• the minimum requirements regarding knowledge and competence of staff providing information or advice on crypto-assets or crypto-asset services;
• organisational requirements of CASPs for the assessment, maintenance and updating of knowledge and competence of the staff providing information or advice.

The guidelines aim to ensure staff giving information or advising on crypto-assets or crypto-asset services have a minimum level of knowledge and competence, enhancing investor protection and trust in the crypto-asset markets.

Consultation Paper on the Guidelines for the criteria on the assessment of knowledge and competence under the Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA)

Next steps

ESMA will consider all comments received by 22 April 2025.

Based on the input received, ESMA will prepare the final report for the subsequent submission of the guidelines to the European Commission.