Central Bank of Ireland publishes Markets Update No 7 of 2026

On 26 May 2026, the Central Bank of Ireland (the Central Bank) published Issue No 7 2026 of its regular Market Update, in which it sets out alerts of interest to Irish regulated firms and other market participants. For our summaries of the previous issues, please see the right-hand column of this page.

The new update contains two items:

The structure of European equity markets – ESMA’s call for evidence

On 30 April 2026, ESMA published a call for evidence (CfE) on the structure of European equity markets.

The CfE analyses how trading in European equity markets evolved between 2022 and 2025 and invites feedback on the trends observed and on their potential implications for regulation.

The Central Bank of Ireland highlights the CfE (which closes on 30 June 2026) to Irish market participants.

The Central Bank publishes a notice of intention in relation to the application of the ESMA Guidelines on stress test scenarios under the Money Market Fund (MMF) Regulation

On 26 March 2026, ESMA published a new set of Guidelines on stress test scenarios under the MMF Regulation.

The 2025 Guidelines establish common reference parameters for the stress test scenarios which should be included in stress tests conducted by MMFs or managers of MMFs under Article 28 of the MMF Regulation.

The Guidelines are updated at least every year to take market developments into account.

The new Guidelines have applied from 26 May 2026.

The Central Bank’s Notice of Intention, published on 26 May 2026, notes that it expects full compliance with the Guidelines with immediate effect.