The European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA) held its 25th Annual Conference in Venice, in partnership with Banca Etica, one of its longest-standing member organisations. Under the theme “Caring and preserving: ethical finance builds community”, the event brought together nearly 200 representatives of ethical financial institutions, European bodies and social economy organisations from 23 to 25 September to explore how to strengthen a financial system centred on people and the planet.
Over three days, participants shared experiences and explored new avenues for collaboration between local financial institutions, social organisations, public institutions and international partners. The participating organisations and institutions included representatives from the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Investment Fund (EIF), the Council of Europe Development Bank and Social Economy Europe (SEE).
Cooperation between institutions
Marking its 25th anniversary, FEBEA reaffirmed its commitment through this event to a financial model that combines economic viability, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and territorial development, demonstrating that cooperation makes it possible to increase the impact of initiatives that would struggle to thrive in isolation.
The conference began on 23 September with a meeting dedicated to supporting migrants and refugees along the Mediterranean and Balkan routes. Representatives of humanitarian organisations and financial institutions discussed the responsibility of ethical finance in supporting reception and integration initiatives.
The subsequent sessions addressed cooperation between institutions, European funding opportunities and the development of instruments to channel resources towards projects with a social impact. One of the key highlights was the signing of a new agreement between GLS Bank and the European Investment Fund. The new FEBEA Marketplace was also presented, an initiative designed to facilitate financial cooperation among federation members and strengthening their investment and lending capacities.
The event paid particular attention to younger generations, with the third edition of the Youth Meeting on Ethical Finance. Participants worked on proposals to promote financial education, establish partnerships between youth organisations and improve understanding of young people’s needs in relation to ethical finance.
European commitment
The General Assembly elected a new board of directors, which appointed Panagiotis Tournavitis, from the Cooperative Bank of Karditsa (Greece), as FEBEA’s president, and Andrea Baranes, from Banca Etica, as vice-president. The change in leadership follows more than nine years of Peru Sasia’s presidency. He argued that ethical finance must go beyond being an alternative and actively contribute to transforming the financial and economic system.
The conference concluded with a broad call to strengthen partnerships between financial institutions, public authorities and social organisations, as well as to give ethical finance a more prominent place in the European Union’s investment priorities for the 2028–2034 period.
