EBA work programme 2026 – what the EBA will focus on in 2026

In autumn 2025, the EBA published its Work Programme for 2026, according to which it will focus on the following three main priorities:

• The EBA will continue implementing the EU Banking Package, aiming to ensure the right balance between complexity, proportionality and simplicity of the rules, while also considering the EU legislators’ objective to reduce reporting costs and facilitate the application of the rules.
• The EBA also plans to strengthen its capabilities for effective analysis, supervision and oversight. The year 2026 is when the EBA assumes supervisory and oversight functions stemming from new responsibilities related to critical third parties (DORA), crypto asset issuers (MICA) and the use of initial margin models (EMIR). Responsibilities in the AML/CFT area, however, will be transferred to AMLA.
• Furthermore, the EBA plans to monitor the financial sector and identify areas requiring regulatory intervention, particularly in the fields of AI and crypto assets. Consumer protection will also be a point of attention.

At the same time as the Work Programme, the EBA also published a report of the Task Force on Efficiency. It contains 21 specific proposals for a more efficient regulatory and supervisory framework in the EU. The EBA committed to taking greater account of the practical impact of new documents and to striving for maximum synergy among different reporting obligations.

And what does the above mean for institutions?

Hopefully, it is a positive signal and reporting will become less costly and regulation simpler in the future. After all, a new year brings not only new challenges but also new hope and determination to do things better.

We can also offer cooperation in the field of regulation, for example in the form of:

• a workshop informing participants about a selected area of banking regulation,
• conducting a gap analysis on a selected banking regulation, or
• adjustments/development of methodologies according to regulatory requirements
• and much more.