March 2026 Data (April Edition)

Section A: The Themes Hidden in March's Lobbying Data

Market Integration and Supervision Package Spurs Intense Lobbying

A significant uptick in engagement from banking and finance organisations such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., Euronext, and the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland during March coincides with the legislative momentum around the EU Market Integration and Supervision Package (MISP), notably in meetings with the Direct. Gen. Financial Services. Financial industry actors have been especially focused on issues such as ESMA’s enhanced supervisory role and harmonisation of rules, as Parliament and Council signal urgency for integration. The timing of these lobbying spikes aligns with the advancement of draft reports and negotiations on MISP.

📎 Commission seeks feedback on revised sustainability reporting standards ... · European Parliament Legislative Train · Federal Ministry of Finance

Digital Euro Debate Peaks as Legislation Takes Shape

Lobbying by monetary intermediation providers and financial auxiliaries such as the European Savings and Retail Banking Group and Deutsche Bank AG surged in tandem with the legislative process on the Digital Euro, including meetings with Comm Dombrovskis (Statistics). With Parliamentary committees and the ECB engaged in resolving last design hurdles, actors across banking, including Banco Santander, S.A., retail finance, and fintech have intensified advocacy on issues ranging from cash access to operational infrastructure. This sector activity closely tracks preparations for a Parliament vote and finalisation of legal tender frameworks.

📎 Euronews legislative tracker · ECB Project Page · Crowdfund Insider 4 June 2026

Consumer Credit Directive II Fuels Unease and Advocacy

A wave of March lobbying meetings, including exchanges between Klarna Bank AB and Direct. Gen. Justice, referenced implementation of the Consumer Credit Directive II (CCD II), as regulators and industry grapple with new rules impacting 'buy now, pay later', microloans, and non-bank lenders. Uncertainty surrounding delayed or incomplete national transposition and contentious regulatory interpretations has mobilised both incumbent banks and emerging fintech players, such as Klarna Bank AB, to press for clarity or extensions. Their efforts coincide with mounting scrutiny and calls for consistency in enforcement, with Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs also engaging Direct. Gen. Justice on related consumer protection concerns.

📎 KPMG Law Insights · Banking.Vision · Ecommerce Europe Joint Letter April 2026

Sustainability Reporting Rules See Industry Input Reflected in Lighter Burden

March saw intensive advocacy on sustainability reporting, with organisations such as EuropeanIssuers and the Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft e.V. engaging with Commission officials including Comm Albuquerque (Financial Services) and Direct. Gen. Financial Services, just as the European Commission prepared to adopt a streamlined set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The reforms, effective July 2026, notably ease some reporting requirements in response to claims of overburdening from banks, insurers, and listed companies. This development follows a period of feedback rounds and ongoing technical consultation, including input from the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation.

📎 Commission adopts revised sustainability reporting standards to reduce ... · Revised ESRS now final - kpmg.com

Credit Ratings Sector on Alert as New Controls and ESG Oversight Take Effect

March’s increased lobbying from credit rating agencies such as Scope Group, including recent meetings with Comm Albuquerque (Financial Services) and Comm Dombrovskis (Statistics), and related market actors parallels new ESMA guidance on internal controls and the approach of the EU’s ESG ratings regulation. These regulatory changes, being phased in through mid to late 2026, introduce expanded compliance obligations and tighter oversight for both traditional ratings providers and ESG-focused firms. The heightened engagement suggests sector stakeholders—exemplified by Scope Group’s discussion with the Direct. Gen. Financial Services—are seeking to shape interpretation and readiness efforts as the new requirements loom.

📎 Regulation Tomorrow · Charles Russell Speechlys ESG Regulation

Section B: Lobbying Activity by Industry

This section compares, by industry, the lobbying activity with the European Commission last month to its historical average.

Industry Lobbying Activity, March 2026

In March 2026, 9 industries from this sector were active in lobbying meetings with the European Commission, led by Monetary Intermediation.

Industries running notably above their historical average this month include Monetary Intermediation, Insurance, Holding Companies and Financing, Financial Services Auxiliaries, and Fund Management.

On the quieter side, Trusts & Funds Activities, Other Financial Services, and Pension Funding saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section C: Lobbying by Industry for the Past Year

To contextualize Section B, this chart shows the residual trajectory of the same top industries from Section B over the past 12 months — the deviation from what would be expected after accounting for seasonal patterns and the overall trend. Persistent above-zero values indicate sustained over-activity; persistent below-zero values indicate sustained quiet periods.

Industry Lobbying Residuals, March 2026

This chart shows the 9 industries in this sector with the largest deviations from expected lobbying activity in March 2026. Positive values run above their seasonal trend, negative values below.

Financial Services Auxiliaries saw lobbying notably above expected levels this month.

Pension Funding, Management Consultancy, Fund Management, Insurance, and Other Financial Services saw lobbying notably below expected levels this month.

Section D: Lobbying Activity by Organization

In this section, we see the organizations with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity.

Organization Lobbying Activity, March 2026

In March 2026, 107 organizations from this sector took part in 154 lobbying meetings with the European Commission.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Scope Group, American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, Robinhood Markets, Inc., Deutsche Bank AG, and KfW Bankengruppe.

New to the sector's lobbying records this month: EDFI Management Company, SLOVCA - Slovak Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits Limited, MasterMind Transactions & Investment GmbH, and Defence Angels European Network.

Section E: Lobbying of Government Institutions in the Past Month

Every lobbying meeting takes place with one of two types of European Commission body: a Commissioner's cabinet (political staff) or a Directorate-General (the civil service). This section shows the organisation-to-institution pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month, defined by the largest absolute difference between this month's meeting count and the pair's 12-month rolling average.

Lobbying of Commission Institutions, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 107 organisations from this sector met with 36 Commission bodies across 154 meetings — split across 21 Commissioner cabinets and 15 Directorates-General.

Notable increases in lobbying activity this month include Association for Financial Markets in Europe with Direct. Gen. Tax and Customs, Wirtschaftskammer Osterreich with Direct. Gen. Secretariat-General, Banking & Payments Federation Ireland with Direct. Gen. Financial Services, Robinhood Markets, Inc. with Direct. Gen. Financial Services, and Insurance Europe with Comm Albuquerque (Financial Services).

On the quieter side, Association for Financial Markets in Europe with Direct. Gen. Financial Services, European Banking Federation with Direct. Gen. Financial Services, and BNP PARIBAS with Direct. Gen. Financial Services saw notably less lobbying activity than their historical average.

Section F: Organization Lobbying by Subject in the Past Month

This section shows the organisation-to-subject pairings with the most unusual lobbying activity last month. Subjects are classified from each meeting's title text into one of 19 EU policy areas. A meeting covering multiple topics counts toward each of them.

Lobbying by Subject, March 2026 vs 12-Month Avg

In March 2026, 101 organisations from this sector lobbied on 15 policy topics across 154 meetings. Meetings may touch multiple topics, so subject totals can exceed total meetings.

Topics with notably elevated lobbying activity this month include Scope Group on Finance & Insurance, Robinhood Markets, Inc. on Finance & Insurance, Swiss Finance Council on Finance & Insurance, UniCredit on Automotive, and Osterreichischer Sparkassenverband on Finance & Insurance.

Section G: Most-Lobbied Officials

This section lists the most-frequent lobbying touchpoints between this sector's organisations and individual European Commission officials last month, compared to each pairing's average over the past year.

Most-Lobbied Officials, March 2026

In March 2026, 108 European Commission officials took part in 154 meetings with this sector's lobbyists.

The most-frequent meetings this month were EuropeanIssuers and Sven Gentner at Direct. Gen. Financial Services, Insurance Europe and Larisa Dragomir at Comm Albuquerque (Financial Services), Associazione fra le societa italiane per azioni and Jessika Roswall + 2 others at Comm Roswall (Environment), ABP Pensionfund and Ekaterina Zaharieva + 3 others at Comm Zaharieva (Startups and Research), and CAISSE DES DEPOTS and Stephane Sejourne + 1 other at EVP Sejourne (Industry and SMEs).

Most activity came from Cabinet members (105 meetings), followed by Head of Unit (55) and Director (21).