Recently, we hosted in Barcelona the meeting of the Board of Directors of FEBEA (European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers), a gathering that highlighted the strength and diversity of the city’s ethical finance ecosystem, as well as the strategic role played by initiatives from the social and cooperative economy. The meeting was held at Bloc4BCN – Espai Cooperatiu, a benchmark facility for cooperativism and social finance, and gave FEBEA member organisations the opportunity to learn first-hand about the ethical finance model promoted in Barcelona, based on strong territorial roots, public–community collaboration and a firm commitment to social impact.
As the host organisation and a member of FEBEA, Seira Impuls Cooperatiu shared our trajectory and the work we carry out to facilitate access to finance for cooperatives and other social economy initiatives, through instruments aligned with social, environmental and economic sustainability criteria. The meeting was also a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences with other European organisations and to jointly reflect on the current challenges facing ethical finance.
During the visit, we highlighted our role as a financial tool at the service of cooperativism, closely linked to the Federation of Worker Cooperatives of Catalonia, as well as our contribution to strengthening and consolidating the social finance ecosystem in Barcelona and Catalonia. This space for exchange helped reinforce strategic alliances and continue building networks with European actors who share common values and vision.
The meeting also underscored the importance of institutional support from the Barcelona City Council for ethical finance, within the framework of the Social and Solidarity Economy Strategy #ESSBCN2030, which promotes public policies and financial instruments aimed at fostering projects with social and cooperative impact.
For us, the visit of the FEBEA Board to Barcelona represented a key opportunity to continue projecting the Catalan model of ethical finance at a European level, strengthen international cooperation and keep working to position cooperatives and the social economy as essential agents in the transformation of the financial system.
