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The Council of the European Union confirmed Carlo Comporti as the next chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority. He is scheduled to take office on 1 November 2026, succeeding Verena Ross, who has led ESMA for five years.
The Council of the European Union has confirmed Carlo Comporti as the next chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the EU’s financial markets regulator and supervisor. Comporti is due to take office on 1 November 2026, succeeding current chair Verena Ross.
ESMA announced the appointment after the Council confirmed it at a meeting in Brussels. Comporti currently serves as a commissioner at Italy’s securities regulator, CONSOB, a role he has held since February 2022. During that period, he has also sat on ESMA’s Board of Supervisors and Management Board and chaired its Digital Finance Standing Committee.
Comporti said he was honoured to take on the role and described ESMA as being at the centre of discussions about the future of European financial markets. He said he looked forward to working with the authority’s board, EU institutions, national authorities and other financial-sector stakeholders. His statement identified market development and integration as priorities, saying ESMA has a role in supporting the needs of companies, investors and citizens.
Ross welcomed her successor, citing his experience in European financial regulation and familiarity with ESMA. She also said it had been an honour to lead the authority for the past five years, and thanked ESMA staff and the Board of Supervisors for their work and support. ESMA’s announcement did not provide further details about the handover or a specific agenda for Comporti’s term.
Leadership at the EU Markets Regulator
The appointment sets the leadership succession at an authority whose work affects how financial markets are regulated and supervised across the European Union. ESMA coordinates with national regulators and contributes to common EU rules and supervisory approaches. Its chair leads the authority’s work with its governing bodies and represents a central figure in discussions involving EU institutions and market participants.
Comporti’s previous roles give him experience both at a national regulator and within ESMA’s own governing structures. That experience may provide continuity as the authority addresses issues including digital finance and the integration of European markets. However, ESMA’s announcement did not specify policy changes or particular initiatives that he will pursue, so his stated priorities should not be read as a detailed programme.
For companies, investors and other market participants, the change matters because leadership can shape how an institution sets priorities and engages with regulators and stakeholders. The appointment itself does not announce a new rule or change in supervision. Any effects on regulation will depend on decisions made through ESMA’s processes and, where relevant, the wider EU legislative and supervisory framework.
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Comporti’s Regulatory Experience
Before joining CONSOB in 2022, Comporti worked at Promontory, a financial-services consultancy that ESMA describes as a business unit of IBM Consulting. From 2011 to 2022, he was chief executive of Promontory Italy and chief operating officer of Promontory Europe; he had previously served as managing director of Promontory France.
Earlier, Comporti was secretary general of the Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR), beginning in 2008. ESMA says he played a key role in the transition from CESR to ESMA in 2010 and 2011. His subsequent responsibilities at ESMA included participation on its Board of Supervisors and Management Board, as well as chairing the Digital Finance Standing Committee. He also served on the board of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and chaired its Audit and Finance Committee.
Ross remains ESMA chair until Comporti’s stated start date. The announcement presents the appointment as a succession, but does not describe any overlap period, interim arrangements or changes to ESMA’s governance structure.
“I am honoured to have been entrusted with this role at a time when ESMA is at the heart of discussions shaping the future of European financial markets.”
— Carlo Comporti, incoming ESMA chair
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Handover and Priorities Still Open
ESMA’s announcement confirms the appointment and the planned start date, but does not detail how the handover from Ross will be organised. It also does not identify Comporti’s first planned actions, specific regulatory priorities, or any changes to ESMA’s current work programme.
The source describes Comporti as the next chair and says the Council confirmed the appointment. It does not provide additional information about the appointment process, the length or formal terms of his mandate, or related decisions by other EU bodies. Those details should not be inferred from the announcement.
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Comporti Takes Office in November
The next stated milestone is 1 November 2026, when Comporti is scheduled to take up the chair. Until then, Ross is identified as the current chair. ESMA has not announced a timetable for further transition updates or a publication setting out the incoming chair’s agenda.
Further information may come from ESMA or EU institutions as the start date approaches, including details about the handover or Comporti’s priorities. For now, the confirmed development is the Council’s approval of his appointment and the date on which he is expected to begin.
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Key Questions
Who has been appointed as ESMA’s next chair?
Carlo Comporti has been confirmed as the next chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority by the Council of the European Union.
When will Comporti take office?
ESMA says Comporti is due to take up the position on 1 November 2026. Verena Ross is the current chair until the scheduled succession.
What roles has Comporti held in financial regulation?
He has served as a commissioner at Italy’s CONSOB since February 2022 and held roles at ESMA, including membership of its Board of Supervisors and Management Board and chair of its Digital Finance Standing Committee. Earlier, he was secretary general of CESR.
Has ESMA announced changes to its regulatory agenda?
No specific changes or new initiatives were announced alongside the appointment. Comporti spoke about market development and integration, but ESMA has not published a detailed programme for his chairmanship.
Source: primary
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