The European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks (FEBEA) held its 24th Annual Conference from September 30 to October 3 in Thun, Switzerland. The event focused on exchanging expert views on the challenges and opportunities faced by ethical finance actors in today’s changing social and political landscape, and on their role in shaping the future.
The Annual Conference, themed “The Next Chapter of Ethical Finance”, took place at the headquarters of the Alternative Bank Switzerland, which co-organized the event with FEBEA. It was held in collaboration with Banca Etica and the European Union, as well as European Investment Funds, Crédit Coopératif, the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, and the Bank of Karditsa.
According to the organizers, more than 150 participants from 13 different countries attended the event, including Belgium, Greece, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Spain, Austria, France, Ireland, Germany, Romania, Lithuania, and Albania.
The gathering opened with FEBEA’s General Assembly, followed by the second edition of the European Youth Meeting on Ethical Finance, where participants under 35 focused on strengthening the network and developing a roadmap for future activities.
The rest of the program featured talks by international speakers such as Roger Spindler, Director of the School of Design in Bern and Biel and speaker at the Future Institute in Frankfurt; Federica Ielasi, Professor of Financial Intermediary Economics at the University of Florence and Vice President of Banca Popolare Etica; and Marek Hudon, Professor at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management and the Free University of Brussels.
Vitality growing reputation
FEBEA President Perú Sasia stated during his speech that this gathering is “once again a very good confirmation of FEBEA’s vitality and our growing reputation around the world, especially across Europe.” He emphasized that over the past year, the organization’s members have continued to prove that “ethical finance is not only viable, but vital.”
“We have supported local economies, empowered cooperatives, financed social innovation, and helped communities through times of crisis. We have shown that financial institutions can be resilient without being extractive, profitable without being predatory, and ambitious without betraying their values,” Sasia said.
About FEBEA
Founded in Brussels in 2001, FEBEA brings together 34 financial institutions from 17 European countries to promote ethical and social finance across Europe. The Federation is committed to fostering a fairer, more sustainable, and inclusive society through tools such as facilitating the exchange of information, experiences, and cooperation among national networks and professionals of the social economy and finance sectors within Europe and the European Economic Area.
