FEBEA Annual Conference 2026 - FEBEA - European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers

23 – 25 SEP 2026

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Banca Etica

Venice, Italy

San Servolo Island

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2026

Caring and Preserving:
Ethical Finance building community

The FEBEA Annual Conference brings together experts in the field of Ethical Finance and Social Economy at European and international level. The FEBEA annual event is a unique opportunity to exchange on the challenges and opportunities faced by ethical finance actors with respect to the changing social and political context.

Annual Conference

Programme

18:00 – 20:00

Welcome event: Ethical finance building community beyond borders

In a Europe closing borders to refugees, ethical banks support NGOs rescuing and welcoming migrants along Mediterranean/Balkan routes. During the event we will hear from these organizations and financiers. This pre-event spotlights a welcoming Europe amid restrictive policies.

At Palazzo Pisani organized by Banca Etica and GLS Bank.

ITA-EN translation available.

20:00

Welcome reception

at Palazzo Pisani

8:45 – 9:00

Registration of participants

9:00 – 12:45

FEBEA General Assembly

Restricted for members and guests, by invitation only.

9:00 – 12:45

III Youth Encounter around Ethical Finance

In parallel with the General Assembly, the third edition of the Youth Encounter of the group European Youth for Ethical Finance (EYEF) will take place. Participants will focus on consolidating the network and developing a roadmap for future activities. This event is restricted to individuals under 35.

12:45 – 13:00

Preliminary insights of the EIB Market Study

European Investment Bank

13:00 – 14:30

Networking lunch

14:15 – 15:00

Workshop on Financial Opportunities (two parts)

Part 1: Kick-off of the FEBEA Financial Marketplace

In an attempt to first rely on our network to ensure our funding and growth, FEBEA is launching the Financial Marketplace to give members the opportunity to start conversations based on their respective supply capacity and analyzed demand for internal financial cooperation. This type of cooperation has already occurred on several occasions through direct bilateral contacts.

[Restricted to members only]

Part 2: Dialogue with CEB, EIB, SIFTA, and EIF on new financial opportunities and how to improve current services offered.

14:30 – 18:00

Workshop on Advocacy and Outreach: Strengthening Our Collective Voice

This workshop will introduce a practical guide to support advocacy work at national level and show how it connects to broader European efforts. Participants will share experiences, learn how to adapt strategies to their own context, and explore how to work together more effectively with support from the FEBEA team

14:30 – 18:00

Workshop on Models of Participatory Governance

Explores how ethical banks can involve their stakeholders to co-create value and support the organization’s mission, governance and community.

by Banca Etica

14:30 – 18:00

FEBEA Youth Working Group Training

Dedicated training for the FEBEA Youth Working Group.

This workshop is implemented under the Social Inclusive Finance Technical Assistance (SIFTA) managed by the EIB and funded by the European Union under the InvestEU Advisory Hub.

18:00 – 20:00

Leisure activities

Tour around the Insane Asylum Museum in San Servolo – pre registration required.

Basketball game – come as a player os a cheering crowd.

Venetian cards‘ game

20:00

Dinner

at San Servolo Island

Simultaneous interpretation EN – ITA

8:45 – 9:30

Registration of participants

9:30 – 9:50

Welcome by Presidents

Aldo Soldi, President of Banca Etica.

Pedro M. Sasia Santos, President of FEBEA

9:50 – 10:00

VIDEO by Nadia Calviño

President of the European Investment Bank

10:00 – 11:00

Ruth Paserman

Director at DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at European Commission

11:00 – 11:30

Coffee Break

11:30 – 12:45

Panel discussion by Banca Etica: act locally, act globally

Etica SGR
COOPFOND
Shareholders for Change

12:45 – 13:45

Panel discussion by FEBEA: The European Ecosystem

Moderated by Daniel Sorrosal, Secretary General of FEBEA

Yesil Rusconi, France Active
François Dauriat, DG EMPLOYMENT – European Commission
Chris Vrettos, REScoop.eu
Sarah de Heusch, Social Economy Europe

13:45 – 14:00

Closing remarks and presentation of the new President

Pedro M. Sasia Santos, FEBEA President

14:00

Networking Lunch

Simultaneous interpretation ITA-EN will only be provided at the welcome event on the 23rd of September and the Public Conference on the 25th.

Access by Invitation Only

This event is open by invitation only to FEBEA and Banca Etica guests. To register, please make sure that you have received an invitation, and contact maria.elejalde@febea.org should you have any requests or questions regarding access.

San Servolo Island

Most activities described in this program will be held on San Servolo Island, a 20-minute boat ride from Venice city center. Please take this logistical detail into account when organizing your accommodation and travel.

Insane Asylum Museum tour

Those interested in joining the San Servolo museum tour should book their place by contacting gspiller@bancaetica.com. Please confirm your participation as soon as possible, as places are limited. Spaces will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Practical
information

Venue

Most events will take place at San Servolo Island, Venice.

Welcome event on the 23rd evening will take place at Palazzo Pisani.

How to get there

The FEBEA 2026 Annual Conference will take place on San Servolo Island, which is easily accessible by boat departing near Piazza San Marco.

Please, if you will not be staying on the island, carefully check the boat departure and arrival timetable to plan your attendance at the events.

Accommodation Recommendations

Accommodation is also available on San Servolo Island, allowing you to reach the meeting venues easily. The island is very small (less than 5 hectares), so all locations are within walking distance.

As you probably know Venice is affected by overtourism and we recommend you to book your accommodation as soon as possible.

Contact

For any enquiries contact maria.elejalde@febea.org or relazioni.istituzionali@bancaetica.com

The speakers

Aldo Soldi

President of Banca Etica

He has held leadership roles in numerous co-operative and business organisations. His professional involvement also extended to organisations at national and European level, where

Roberta Conte

Banca Etica

Member of the Board and president of the Executive Committee of Banca Etica, Roberta Conte is a trainer and management consultant, focusing primarily on financial planning and training for SMEs and co-operatives. She is a trainer in the field of credit, and focuses in particular on cooperative credit banks and less significant banks; she also delivers training on financial literacy and business start-ups, with a focus on women’s entrepreneurship projects.

Kristina Maslauskaite

Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB)

[WORKSHOP Speaker] She is Technical Advisor for Microfinance at the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), where she has worked for the past eight years. She oversees grant and loan operations in microfinance and social economy finance across the Bank’s member states, leads technical due diligence, and contributes to defining the CEB’s strategic priorities in these sectors.

Cristina Dumitrescu

European Investment Fund (EIF)

[WORKSHOP Speaker] She is the Head of Unit of Inclusive Finance at the EIF. Active for more than 25 years in the financial sector, gathering a wide experience of the Central and East European markets by working with both financial services providers but also final beneficiaries. Strong relationship management and negotiation skills, working with different types of stakeholders, at all managerial levels.

Sarah de Heusch

Director of Social Economy Europe

Director of Social Economy Europe and member of GECES, observer of the UN Task Force on SSE, EESC CCMI delegate and part of the EESC civil society liaison group. She is also a Board Member of la Coop de Communs and has worked for Smart cooperative for nearly 15 years. For 20 years she has worked internationally at the crossroads of research and advocacy on topics such as the social economy, impact of digital on labour and democracy, access to social protection, participatory governance at work and the commons.

Francois Dauriat

Policy Officer at DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at European Commission

Ruth Paserman

Director at DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at European Commission

Director, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission An economist, Ruth Paserman joined the Commission in 1993. She has since worked in a number of services: Eurostat, DG Employment and Social Affairs, DG Competition, DG Enterprise and Industry. She was also a member of the cabinet of the Vice-President Tajani, Vice-President Dombrovskis and deputy Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Thyssen.

Nadia Calviño

President of the European Investment Bank

[VIDEO] She is a Spanish economist and lawyer with over 30 years of experience in public policy, economics, and finance, and has held senior roles in the Spanish government and the European Commission. Until December 2023, she served as Spain’s First Vice-President and Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise.

Mario Nava

Director-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion at the European Commission.

[VIDEO] He has held several leadership roles in the Commission, including in financial services and structural reform, and also teaches at Bocconi University and Solvay Business School.

Pedro M. Sasia

President of FEBEA

Mr. Sasia has been the President of FEBEA since 2017, and re-elected during the 2023 General Assembly. He’s a professor of Civic and Professional Ethics at the University of Deusto and he is Vice-Dean of Faculty and Director of the Department of Social and Human Sciences.

Stefan Möller

Board member of Messina Community Foundation

He began his professional career with an apprenticeship at a regional bank, where he subsequently worked in corporate customer service. After completing a part-time study programme, he was looking for a meaningful job. He found this purpose at GLS Bank, where he joined on 1 January 2012. He currently works there as a regional manager. His current tasks include advising selected corporate clients and representing GLS Bank.

Daniel Sorrosal

Secretary General of FEBEA

He leads the advocacy efforts of FEBEA with the European Union to promote finance that supports job creation, investment in the real economy, social cohesion, and environmental regeneration.

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ANNUAL CONFERENCE

About
the event

The FEBEA Annual conference brings together practitioners and experts in the filed of ethical finance and social economy at European and international level. The FEBEA annual event is an unique opportunity to exchange on the challenges and opportunities faced by ethical finance actors with respect to the changing social and political context.

About FEBEA

Founded in Brussels in 2001, FEBEA is the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers, uniting 34 financial institutions from 17 European countries to champion ethical and social finance across Europe. The Federation is dedicated to fostering a fairer, more sustainable, and inclusive society by:

Facilitating the exchange of information, experiences, and cooperation among national networks and social economy and finance practitioners within Europe and the European Free Trade Area.
Representing its members at EU institutions, financial, and political organizations, and influencing various political levels and European institutions.
Actively supporting its members’ initiatives, including the creation of essential banking and financial instruments to achieve their objectives.

About the host

Founded in 1998, Banca Etica is an italian-spanish transnational cooperative and ethical bank, dedicated to financing social and environmental projects that promote the common good. Operating transparently with participatory governance, it prioritizes sustainability, social justice, and democratic decision-making over profit maximization. While providing standard banking services like savings, loans, and investments, Banca Etica rigorously screens all operations to ensure they align with strong ethical principles, rejecting speculation, arms financing, and fossil fuels.

Past conferences

Annual Conference