SEBI and ESMA Sign MoU to Strengthen Cooperation on Central Counterparties

6 September 2026National

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen cooperation and information exchange on Central Counterparties (CCPs) regulated by SEBI. Signed by SEBI Chairman Tuhin Kanta Pandey and ESMA Chair Verena Ross, it replaces their earlier 2017 agreement. The MoU lets SEBI-supervised Indian CCPs re-apply for ESMA recognition under Article 25 of the European Market Infrastructure Regulation (EMIR), and allows ESMA to rely on SEBI's supervision of those clearing houses. A CCP interposes itself between buyer and seller to manage counterparty risk and settle trades, making the pact important for India–EU cross-border clearing.

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SEBI was established in 1988 and given statutory powers by the SEBI Act, 1992; it is headquartered in Mumbai | ESMA, the EU's securities markets regulator, was established in 2011 and is headquartered in Paris | India's main CCPs include NSE Clearing Ltd, Indian Clearing Corporation and the Clearing Corporation of India

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