The era of on-chain finance? Opening remarks by Mícheál O'Keeffe, Director of Policy and International at Blockchain Ireland Summit 2026

For compliance teams, it signals continued supervisory interest in how tokenised assets, programmable payments and new market infrastructure interact with trust in money, AML/CFT, operational resilience and financial stability. There are no immediate new obligations or deadlines, so the impact is informational but directionally important. Firms should treat this as a horizon-scanning prompt: map exposure to tokenised settlement and digital asset models, review AML/KYC and cyber controls, assess prudential and consumer-protection implications, and ensure board-level governance for innovation.

Engagement with the CBI and industry initiatives can provide early insight. No compliance deadline was announced; maintain watch for future consultations or supervisory expectations.