Italy’s Carlo Comporti has been chosen by EU member states as their candidate to succeed Verena Ross as president of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). He is set to take up the post when Ross’s term ends on 31 October — just as markets enter their final year before the shift to a T+1 securities settlement cycle on 11 October 2027.
The European Parliament must still confirm the appointment. A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for 2 September, with a plenary vote expected between 14 and 17 September.
Comporti, 60, is from Siena and has served as a commissioner at Consob, Italy’s securities regulator, since February 2022. He previously served as secretary general of the Committee of European Securities Regulators, ESMA’s predecessor body, and later as ESMA’s interim secretary general. He has sat on ESMA’s board since December 2024. Denmark’s Karen Abelskov, who lost out in the vote, is also a current board member.
The appointment comes just a week after ESMA signalled its intent to closely monitor T+1 preparations and confirmed a December 2026 deadline for allocation and confirmation compliance. With one year now on the clock, sources say Comporti will face early pressure to make T+1 readiness a top priority from his first day in office.
