Italian regulators have begun setting up a supervisory environment anticipating European Union laws for regulating crypto, central bank Governor Ignazio Visco said in a speech on Saturday.

Visco spoke of the importance of regulating crypto, and outlined global, European and Italian initiatives underway during a speech on the global economic situation in Milan. Although the economies of Italy and the euro area are decelerating, because the sector's ties to traditional finance are weak, last year's crypto market collapse did not have any "systemic consequences" on "the real economy," he said.

He added that Bank of Italy surveys showed only about 2% of Italian households held "modest amounts, on average" of crypto and that the exposure of Italian intermediaries to the market was also very limited.

Nonetheless, the country's regulators are preparing for the forthcoming EU crypto rules under the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework, which are due to be voted on for a final time in April. MiCA sets up licensing requirements for crypto issuers and service providers including exchange platforms. The central bank is working with local financial markets regulator CONSOB and the Ministry of Economy and Finance on setting up the "authorization and supervision activities" laid out in MiCA.

(By Sandali Handagama)