Our mission
When you put your money in a bank, you need to be sure it will still be there tomorrow. When you want to invest in a financial product, you expect to receive all the information you need before taking a decision. When you select a climate-friendly investment, it should go without saying that your money is directed towards sustainable projects. When you shop in the EU, you want to be able to choose from a wide range of safe and quick payment options. And if you are an entrepreneur, you need access to funding – to expand and scale up your business – both from banks and capital markets.
These are just a few examples of what we, the Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DG FISMA), are working to achieve. To this end, we are working to build a stable financial system that enables EU economic growth and competitiveness, while also fighting market misconduct and financial crime. We impose sanctions to prevent conflicts or respond to crises in non-EU countries when necessary.
Together with Member States and the European Parliament, we are shaping the rules that govern financial services in the EU, so that markets work well, and you can bank, save, pay, invest or get insured with confidence. Once EU rules are agreed, we make sure that they work in practice and that Member States are implementing them properly. Our goal is to maintain trust in the financial system for all.
We constantly monitor emerging risks, so we can ensure a quick response when needed. We want to help our financial institutions to fully exploit the competitive edge offered by technological progress – for instance digitalisation or Artificial Intelligence – but at the same time we endeavour to mitigate any associated risks.
In all this, DG FISMA works in close collaboration with an ecosystem of EU authorities – the European Supervisory Authorities, the European Central Bank, the Single Resolution Board, the European Systemic Risk Board, and national competent authorities. Since the world of finance extends beyond the EU’s borders, we also work closely with authorities across the globe and international regulators such as the Financial Stability Board.
Our objectives
Consumer finance: ensuring that Europeans are able to make well-informed decisions on financial matters, e.g. for their payments or investments, and are adequately protected if something goes wrong.
Financial markets: building an EU single market for capital to unlock funding for Europe’s growth and providing the private finance needed for the green and digital transitions, as well as other EU priorities such as defence. Developing and ensuring appropriate regulation of EU financial infrastructure and services. Ensuring that companies’ financial reporting is accurate, both on sustainable and other matters.
Banking & insurance: creating an effective and comprehensive set of rules for banks, insurers and pension funds to strengthen their resilience, enable them to finance the economy and ensure consumer protection.
Sustainable finance: creating tools and frameworks for the financial sector that help the EU reach its goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.
Digital finance: enabling the financial sector to reap the benefits of the digital transformation while ensuring sufficient safeguards for market participants, businesses and individuals against digital risks.
Financial crime and sanctions: fighting money laundering and terrorist financing to improve the safety of Europeans and strengthen the stability and integrity of financial markets. Contributing to the EU’s efforts in conflict prevention in non-EU countries by implementing its sanctions policy as in the case of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
EU & worldwide: on all financial matters, advancing regulatory cooperation with international partners in the EU’s interest.