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AFME is pleased to circulate its Q2 2026 Securitisation Data Report. Main findings: In Q2 2026, EUR 60.5 bn of securitised product was issued in Europe, an increase of 1.5% from Q1 2026 (EUR 59.6 bn) and a decrease of 23.3% from Q2 2025 (EUR 78.9 bn). Of the EUR 60.5 bn issued, EUR 47.8 bn was placed, representing 79.0% of the total, compared to 72.8% (EUR 43.3 bn) of total issuance in Q1 2026 and 49.5% (EUR 39.1 bn) of total issuance in Q2 2025.

Report highlights include: EU Member States, the UK and the EU Commission issued EUR 1,220 bn in bonds and bills throughout 2Q26, which represents an increase of 10.4% (YoY) compared to 2Q25, and a decrease of 2.0% (QoQ) compared to 1Q26. Second-highest average trading volumes on record in European (EU+UK) government bonds during Q2 2026, according to MarketAxess TraX, with trading increasing 3% (YoY) and decreasing 7% (QoQ).

Tokenised financial instruments should continue to be regulated under MiFID and must not be brought within the scope of the EU’s crypto-asset regime simply because they use distributed ledger technology, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) said today.

AFME is delighted to circulate its High Yield, Leveraged Loan and Private Credit report for the second quarter of 2026. The report provides detailed data and analysis on the issuance and credit performance for the high yield, leveraged loan and private credit markets.

DLT and tokenisation are rapidly evolving from capital-markets experimentation to practical tools that corporates can use to make treasury, funding and working capital processes faster, cheaper, more transparent and more flexible. For corporates, the opportunity is about using shared ledgers, tokenised cash and programmable assets to remove friction from day-to-day financial operations and open up new options for managing liquidity and capital.

The Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) and the European Association of Corporate Treasurers (EACT) have today published a new report, DLT & the Future of Corporate Treasury and Financing, which explores how distributed ledger technology (DLT), tokenisation and artificial intelligence are set to transform corporate treasury management.

AFME’s 10th Annual European Compliance and Legal Conference is meticulously curated to attract a diverse audience, including Heads of Compliance, Heads of Regulatory Affairs, Heads of Government Affairs, Risk professionals, General Counsel, Compliance professionals, Regulatory Affairs professionals, Law firms, Lawyers, European Regulators, Supervisors and Policymakers, Central banks, Consultants, Technology providers, Vendors and financial press.

Europe wants stronger growth, deeper capital markets and greater strategic autonomy. Yet one obstacle remains largely unresolved: banks still cannot operate across the EU as though it were a single market. This matters because the debate around banking consolidation is not really about mergers and acquisitions. It is about competitiveness. European policymakers are rightly focused on improving the EU’s ability to compete in an increasingly challenging global environment.

To support growth, competitiveness and the EU's strategic priorities in an increasingly contested geopolitical environment, Europe needs a banking sector that is globally competitive, resilient and able to finance the real economy. This, in turn, depends on banks having the capacity to provide businesses with the funding they need to invest, innovate and grow.

The 2026 Annual Review, “Towards Simpler, More Efficient Capital Markets in Europe”, highlights AFME’s role in advancing policies that strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, deepen market integration and support economic growth. Over the past year, AFME worked closely with policymakers, regulators and members to help shape key initiatives including banking sector competitiveness reforms, the Market Integration & Supervision Package, securitisation and digital finance, among others.