You are reading the first special issue of the Finance Newsletter. It focuses on the new technologies – FinTech – that are transforming the financial sector. At the same time, last weekend, the EU celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, remembering the past and preparing for the future.

In finance as in other fields, the Treaty of Rome laid the foundations of European integration in 1957 with the objective of abolishing obstacles to the free movement of capital. Over the years, the EU delivered on this objective and today EU citizens can buy shares in non-domestic companies, purchase real estate in another country and invest where the best return is. EU companies can invest in or own other EU companies and raise money where it is the cheapest.

With rapid technological change, the way people pay for things, raise capital or carry out money transfers is very different today compared to even five or 10 years ago, let alone 1957. New financial technologies are opening up even more opportunities for the banking and financial industry. Investors and consumers have more choice and more convenient access to new financial services. Thanks to technological innovation distance, physical location and increasingly even language no longer determine whether or not people are able to enjoy the benefits of the single market. The European Commission wants to make the most of these new opportunities by making the EU's regulatory framework even more technology-friendly while safeguarding financial stability and consumer protection.

The new FinTech world represents another opportunity to fulfil the promise of a true single market for financial services set out 60 years ago.

Enjoy reading – and stay tuned @EU_Finance #FinTechEU!