Amendments To The Insurance Compensation Fund Regime

The Central Bank of Ireland has published its first Investment Firm and Intermediary Newsletter for 2026, revealing critical regulatory updates and supervisory priorities for Irish (re)insurance intermediaries. The newsletter addresses sector mapping initiatives, commission disclosure practices, complaints handling procedures, and significant changes to intermediary authorisation requirements that firms must navigate.

The key provisions introducing Ireland’s statutory “right to be forgotten” regime for cancer survivors are due to come into operation on 15 October 2026, following the making of the relevant commencement order by the Irish Government.

A ‘resolution stay recognition clause’ in a relevant financial contract governed by the law of a third-country if the contract either creates a new obligation or materially amends an existing obligation...

Warranty and indemnity insurance has evolved from a niche product to a standard feature in Irish M&A transactions, fundamentally changing how parties allocate risk in private deals. As insurers expand coverage into emerging areas like cyber risk and ESG disclosures, understanding how this insurance works and when to deploy it has become essential for both buyers and sellers navigating competitive deal processes.

This quarterly update examines critical regulatory developments affecting the insurance sector from October to December 2025, including ESG stress testing guidelines, private equity supervision frameworks, and the advancement of the Savings and Investments Union. The document analyzes EIOPA's strategic priorities through 2030, implementation of the Insurance Recovery and Resolution Directive, and evolving AML/CFT requirements under the new AMLA framework.

EIOPA has published a report – Insurance Distribution Directive – Evaluation of the Structure of Insurance Intermediaries Markets in Europe – together with an annex containing a Country-by-Country

The Central Bank of Ireland has launched Consultation Paper 171, proposing significant refinements to its domestic actuarial regime and guidance for insurance and reinsurance undertakings. These changes affect the Head of Actuarial Function role, reserving policies, peer review requirements, and various life and non-life specific elements, with the consultation open for submissions until October 2026.

On 30 March 2026, EIOPA published a final report on a draft implementing technical standards (ITS) and guidelines on supervisory reporting and public disclosure supplementing the Solvency II Directive.

In 2025, the FSPO received a record 7,004 complaints, an increase of 13% on 2024. Of these complaints, 6,282 were closed during the year, representing a 6% increase from 2024.

EIOPA has published Annex II to its Decision on Collaboration Regarding the Transfer of Registered Office of Insurance and Reinsurance Undertakings (Decision), which supplements the 2021 Decision.

The Cayman Islands Monetary Authority has introduced sweeping changes to anti-money laundering audit requirements for investment funds, mandating independent audits of entire compliance programmes by September 2026. This marks a fundamental departure from previous practice where internal AML officers could conduct their own testing, raising critical questions about implementation timelines, qualified auditor availability, and compliance costs for funds operating in the jurisdiction.

The EU Retail Investment Strategy is a legislative package which introduces significant changes to the UCITS Directive and AIFMD, as well as MiFID II, the Insurance Distribution Directive and the Solvency II Directive via an omnibus directive (Omnibus Directive).

The European Union has reached a political agreement to amend the AI Act, introducing targeted changes aimed at simplifying compliance requirements for businesses while maintaining protective standards.

Ireland has introduced significant amendments to its beneficial ownership registers in 2026, implementing the Sixth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD6) framework. These reforms fundamentally restructure access rights to the Central Register of Beneficial Ownership of Trusts and Corporate Entities, moving away from unrestricted public access toward a tiered system that balances transparency with privacy rights while maintaining accessibility for legitimate anti-money laundering purposes.

The European Commission's proposed overhaul of the SFDR regime is entering crucial trialogue negotiations, with the Irish Presidency aiming to reach agreement by year-end. While the Council and Parliament have aligned on key issues like professional investor opt-outs, significant divergences remain on exclusion criteria for Transition funds, PAI reporting requirements, and engagement strategy disclosures that will shape the future of sustainable finance regulation.

The Listing Act Directive introduces significant reforms to the MiFID II research regime, allowing investment firms greater flexibility in paying for research and execution services. This briefing examines how the removal of market capitalisation thresholds restores bundling as a commercial option and establishes a new EU framework for issuer-sponsored research.

As widely anticipated on 10 September 2019, mainland China's foreign exchange regulator, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, confirmed that existing restrictions on both QFII and RQFII schemes have been abolished.

Following President Trump's recent confirmation that U.S economic sanctions on Iran will be reinstated, Muireann Reedy looks at the penalties ...

The Department of Justice, Equality and Defence (the "Department") has recently introduced two new immigration initiatives aimed at facilitating non-EEA migrant entrepreneurs and investors who, in return for permission to reside in the State, are prepared to invest in Ireland.

On 23 October 2018, the European Securities and Markets Authority ('ESMA") adopted a Decision under Article 40 of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 ('MiFIR") to restrict the marketing, distribution or sale