France's Macron says 'synchronisation' of European financial rules with US, UK is a priority

PARIS, May 15 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that getting European regulation to be more in sync with the United States and the United Kingdom was one of his priorities for the banking and insurance sectors.

Speaking at JPMorgan's markets conference in Paris, Macron said: "If there is no synchronisation, we will clearly delay in terms of capacity of financing."

The regulatory gap between the United States and Europe is widening, as U.S. authorities move to ease capital requirements while the EU, for now, plans to implement key parts of the Basel III package — including stricter market risk rules — in January 2026.

The divergence is fuelling concern among European banks, which warn it could distort competition and encourage regulatory arbitrage in the global financial system.

The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Brussels is making a renewed push to deepen and better integrate capital markets across the EU, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen making the project one of her second term priorities.