Ireland’s compliance community has delivered a decisive verdict on the EU Capital Markets Union. A survey by the Compliance Institute, the professional association for Ireland’s compliance professionals, polled 123 senior experts in Irish financial services organisations and finds that 83% believe a stronger CMU would create significant growth opportunities for the sector. The findings arrive after Central Bank Governor Gabriel Makhlouf called for Europe to move faster to complete the single market.

For associations and institutes serving the financial services community and the broader professional landscape, the research defines a clear agenda. Three findings stand out: the strength of the mandate for CMU reform, the fragmentation mechanisms creating cost and complexity for Irish firms, and the strategic leadership role professional bodies can play in turning compliance expertise into competitive advantage.

The mandate is striking. Some 31% said a stronger CMU would significantly improve growth opportunities, while 52% said it would do so somewhat, bringing the total to 83% in favour. Michael Kavanagh, CEO of the Compliance Institute, observed that a more integrated EU capital market could make it significantly easier for Irish firms to access funding, scale across borders, and compete internationally.

The fragmentation problem is both precise and urgent. Kavanagh identified regulatory divergence as the core issue for financial services organisations in Ireland, noting that Ireland hosts a significant share of the global compliance functions for major multinational financial institutions. Fragmentation, whether from the gap between EU and US rules or from divergent interpretations across member states, creates real cost. Organisational excellence in compliance is harder when the regulatory environment is fractured.

The Compliance Institute also found that 90% of compliance professionals support the proposed EU 28th regime as a measure that would improve growth and expansion opportunities for Irish firms. For associations with professional development mandates, this is a prompt to build CMU and 28th regime literacy into CPD frameworks, equipping members to guide their organisations through whatever form deeper EU integration takes.

Three priorities stand out for association leaders. First, invest in member education on CMU and 28th regime developments, ensuring compliance professionals can advise their organisations proactively. Second, engage with EU policy consultations on CMU design, channelling member expertise into the decisions that will shape the framework. Third, through effective association management, build cross-border peer networks with compliance bodies across EU member states.

The Compliance Institute’s survey is a clear-eyed signal from a community that knows the regulatory landscape more intimately than almost any other. With over 3,850 members and the largest suite of compliance programmes in the world, the Institute speaks for the professionals who will make deeper EU integration operational. For associations and institutes across Ireland, a stronger CMU is a national competitiveness opportunity.