IOSCO advances digital asset supervision through SupTech sprint

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IOSCO advances digital asset oversight

Highlights

IOSCO's SupTech Forum completed its first SupTech Sprint on digital asset supervision, uniting specialists from 56 jurisdictions and launching phases in Zurich and Mumbai throughout 2026.
Two multidisciplinary teams from 28 jurisdictions built supervisory tools to improve cross-market visibility and enhance AML/CFT risk identification for fragmented digital asset markets by November 2026.
IOSCO highlights cross-border SupTech collaboration as critical for handling complex digital asset surveillance, as rapid innovation and dispersed data challenge regulators’ oversight and risk assessment.

Cross-border project targets supervisory gaps

As reported by IOSCO, the organization’s SupTech Forum has presented the results of its first SupTech Sprint on the supervision of digital assets, marking an early milestone for the initiative launched in 2026.

The forum promotes innovation and knowledge-sharing among securities regulators worldwide. In its inaugural year, it includes four SupTech Spotlight Sessions and one SupTech Sprint.

To address emerging supervisory challenges in digital asset markets, the sprint brings together policy specialists, supervisors and technical experts from 56 IOSCO member jurisdictions. Its first phase, the Sprint Lab, is held in Zurich, Switzerland, while the second phase, Sprint Build, is launched in Mumbai, India.

From September through November 2026, two multidisciplinary teams from 28 jurisdictions work intensively on practical supervisory tools. The teams present two solutions to the IOSCO Board in Madrid, aimed at improving visibility across fragmented digital asset markets and strengthening the identification and prioritization of AML/CFT risks in complex ecosystems.

Regulatory technology gains strategic importance

IOSCO says digital asset market surveillance remains difficult because trading data is spread across exchanges, blockchains and jurisdictions, reducing regulators’ visibility into activity. AML/CFT risk assessment is also complicated by layered transaction structures, multiple intermediaries and the pseudonymous nature of many digital asset activities.

The organization says the sprint demonstrates how international collaboration can help regulators respond to fast-evolving supervisory challenges. The solutions developed through the exercise are expected to support supervisory work across jurisdictions worldwide.

Jean-Paul Servais, chair of the IOSCO Board, says supervisory technology is playing a more important role in helping authorities keep pace with rapid market innovation and improve oversight effectiveness. He also credits Marlene Amstad, chair of the SupTech Forum and chair of FINMA’s board of directors, alongside the IOSCO General Secretariat and other participants, for advancing the initiative.

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