The capabilities and opportunities provided by the Internet have transformed many business activities, augmenting the speed, ease, and range with which transactions can be conducted, while also lowering many of the costs. Criminals have also discovered that the Internet can provide new opportunities for pursuing unlawful business.
The design, development and implementation of the framework for the SSM will be a key task at euro level throughout 2013. The move towards a systematic approach to supervision, resolution and deposit protection is part of what is needed to place the euro area institutional structure on a more robust basis, building market and public confidence across the union.