FEBEA Annual Conference

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The Next Chapter of Ethical Finance

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30th SEP – 3rd OCT 2025

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 – 12:00

FEBEA General Assembly

Restricted for members and guests, by invitation only. 

9:00 – 12:00

II Youth Encounter around Ethical Finance

In parallel with the General Assembly, the second edition of the Youth Encounter of Young Europeans around Ethical Finance 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.

12:00 – 13:00

Preliminary insights of the EIB Market Study

European Investment Bank, FEBEA and AICCON

13:00 – 14:30

Networking lunch

14:30 – 18:00

Workshop on Financial Opportunities (two parts)

Part 1: Matchmaking financial opportunities among FEBEA members to foster mutual collaboration. Exploring how members can identify and develop investment opportunities together. [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

Basketball game

Venetian cards‘ game

20:00

Dinner

at San Servolo Island

Simultaneous interpretation EN – ITA

8:15 – 9:00

Registration of participants

9:00 – 9:20

Welcome by Presidents

Pedro M. Sasia Santos, President of FEBEA

Aldo Soldi, President of Banca Etica.

10:00 – 11:00

Mario Nava, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

European Commission

11:00 – 12:00

Coffee Break

12:00 – 13:15

Panel discussion by Banca Etica: act locally, act globally
  • Etica SGR
  • COOPFOND
  • Shareholders for Change

13:15 – 14:15

Panel discussion by FEBEA: The European Ecosystem

 

Moderated by Daniel Sorrosal, Secretary General of FEBEA

  • France Active
  • DG EMPLOYMENT – European Commission
  • RESCOOP

14:15 – 14:30

Closing remarks and presentation of the new President

FEBEA President

14:30

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

San Servolo Island, Venice. 

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

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.

The speakers

Roger Spindler

Director of the School of Design Bern and Biel
He is the Director, School of Design Bern and Biel and speaker for the Future Institute, Frankfurt a. M. He addresses questions related to the megatrend of education and current changes in the media landscape. As a speaker for the Future Institute in Frankfurt, he focuses on transformations and developments in education, society, work, and media change.»

Federica Ielasi

She is a professor of Economics of Financial Intermediaries at the University of Florence and the Vice President of Banca Popolare Etica. She is the author of national and international publications in banking management, corporate banking, risk management and ethical finance.

Marek Hudon

Professor and Researcher
Professor at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management and Université Libre de Bruxelles. His research mainly focuses on sustainable finance (microfinance, alternative currencies, impact investing, social crowdfunding), social innovation (alternative organizations, collective action), economic resilience and business ethics.
Pedro M. Sasia

Pedro M. Sasia

FEBEA President
Pedro M. Sasia Santos has been the President of FEBEA since 2017, and re-elected during the 2023 General Assembly. During the last few years, he has been a board member of the Spanish Solidarity Economy Network and has developed an intense activity as researcher and consultant in the area of Business Ethics.

Nicole Bardet

Coordinator of the Executive Management at Alternative Bank Schweiz AG
Nicole Bardet is the Coordinator of the Executive Management at Alternative Bank Schweiz AG and co-coordinator for the Credit and Investment departments. She also leads the organization’s transformation. In addition to her professional role, Nicole has been active in several NGOs and continues to serve as an elected member of her local municipal council, a position she has held for the past 15 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in management from HEX Lausanne and is currently completing a MAS in Human Development in Organizations at HEIG-VD.

Sebastien Fosseur

General Director of Credal
General Director of Crédal, as well as Board member of FEBEA.

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.
Francesca Mereta

Francesca Mereta

Board member of Messina Community Foundation
She is a board member of Messina Community Foundation. She splits her time as Head of Programmes between ECFI (European Community Foundation Initiative) and Assifero, the Italian association of foundations. She has worked as communication consultant in Italy focusing on developing and implementing communication strategies, focusing also on crisis communication and public affairs. Francesca holds a Bachelor in Economics and a Master degree in Management of Cultural Organisations from Bocconi University in Italy.

Daniel Sorrosal

Secretary General of FEBEA
[Moderator] Secretary General of FEBEA, where he leads advocacy efforts with the European Union to promote finance that supports job creation, investment in the real economy, social cohesion, and environmental regeneration.

Samara Mrabti

[Moderator] – Alternative Bank Switzerland

Darío Gómez-Cornejo

[Moderator] – Project and Operations Officer at FEBEA.

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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.

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

WEB_Conference25

FEBEA Annual Conference 2025

FEBEA Annual Conference 2024

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