Following an investigation in January 2019, the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten, the AFM) announced its intention to introduce two national product intervention measures, following the European Securities and Markets Authority’s (ESMA) EU-wide temporary measures relating to binary options and CFDs introduced last year.

The investigation has made it clear that there is significant reason for concern about investor protection. The AFM therefore intends to take national measures with regard to the aforementioned products, which do not differ from ESMA’s EU-wide temporary measures. The AFM is expected to publish the measures in April 2019. Contrary to the temporary measures taken by ESMA, the AFM’s national measures apply indefinitely.

View the AFM’s press release (Dutch only), 7 March 2019.