Dear Friends of IFB,
Earlier this week, our team had a front-row view of the Rue de la Loi, where protesting farmers ignited fireworks and started bonfires right across from the Impact House. Without defending their actions, these farmers and their many tractors laid out the challenge of impact financiers in one picture: striving to combine economic, social and environmental interests, which is not always easy. Better insights into the value chain will help, which is why IFB welcomes the CSDDD decision of mid-March.
A very positive signal came from our neighbors just yesterday when a group of large Dutch pension funds offered to invest billions of euros in a much-needed energy transition, calling on the government to support them on this.
Earlier in March, IFB started a working group with several institutional or large financiers to better understand what their ambitions are towards sustainability, towards impact, and what may be needed to get there. We are preparing another working group with several financiers interested in place-based impact financing (overlapping with social housing). At least two other topics are in the making, each time based on the interest of several members of IFB.
On the IFB publications, you can expect a note on many sustainable and impact labels that are available in Belgium and the countries around us. Other topics will follow in the coming months. The November publication on ESG and Impact attracted attention from different members, even training programs, reason for IFB to present this again at an Impact Monday (earlier in March at the Impact House) and to use it as a basis for a short webinar series that started on 28 March.
As interaction with our members is important, we will be calling on you to come and participate, to come and present, to come and share your questions, so IFB can help you find or develop the answers. In April, we will offer you several moments again, at the Impact House, online or individually ( check our website).
Wishing you all a great Easter weekend, or Easter vacation, and hope to see you soon again!
Warm regards,
Frederik and the IFB team
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IFB Activities Recap in March
When in Rome (NAB Meeting in Rome, Italy)
On 4 March, Frederik, IFB CEO, attended ‘IMPACT NOW. Another Capitalism is Possible,’ an event organised by SIA to celebrate 10 years of the Human Foundation and the GSG. The event produced seven proposals for an impactful future.
The next day, the National Advisory Boards across Europe met. There were representatives from the Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing, SpainNAB, FAIR France, Maze Impact, Social Impact Agenda Per L’Italia, and Impact Europe. This meeting was held to discuss collaboration in European projects and to speak with one voice at European Level.
IFB Events in March
Impact Monday – Impact Unraveled
Questions such as ‘What constitutes impact? Can it be measured, and if so, how?’ arise within the impact investing community. To provide more clarity, IFB was speaking during Impact House’s Impact Monday on 11 March 2024. IFB invited Professor Christel Dumas from ICHEC to complement the presentation of Wendy Braeken on the topic. It was a meaningful, constructive and fruitful evening with engaging participation from the attendees.
#Happening with IFB
IFB’s CEO was one of the panel speakers at the #Happening event organised by the Vlaamse Federatie van Beleggers (VFB). Along with Sofie Versmissen from Forum Ethibel and Tom Van den Berghe from Febelfin, they discussed ‘Hoe beleggers het verschil kunnen maken’ (How investors can make a difference).
Impact for Breakfast – Role of Philanthropy
On 28 March, we started with croissants, coffee and Impact at BIO’s office. On this Impact for a Breakfast event, Sybren Devoghel, Investment Manager at King Baudouin Foundation and Tanguy Vanloqueren, Advisor to the Director at Foundation for Future Generations shed a new light on the role of philanthropy in Impact Investing.
If you missed this session, there will be another Impact for Breakfast, scheduled for Autumn this year. Keep an eye on IFB’s website and LinkedIn.
IMM Webinar 1 – Impact Unraveled
On the same 28 March, IFB organised the first webinar on the Impact Measurement and Management series. Together with the participants, Wendy Braeken, IFB’s Impact Expert, and Professor Christel Dumas from ICHEC Business School unravelled the differences and similarities between ESG and Impact Investing. The replay of the webinar can be seen through the link below.
The next topic in the series is ‘5 Steps of Impact Measurement and Management’ (see the post below).
Voor het klimaat telt elke cent
At IFB, we believe that finance can be a force for good. It is important to know how/where your money has the biggest impat. This is why IFB supports the ‘Voor het klimaat telt elke cent’ campaign initiated by Duurzaam Beleggen Academy. Listen to the inspiring stories from various people on how to make their money count and how they overcame the challenges. Take action by following the webinars organised by Duurzaam Beleggen Academy.
Impact Events in April
Impact Monday – Afrika: een gedroomde toekomst (Open to all)
Loïc De Cannière, our Board Member, just published a book titled ‘Afrika, een gedroomde toekomst’. On Monday, 15 April, he will be speaking at the Impact House about his book.
In this Impact Monday, Loïc breaks the negative perceptions – the ‘doom and gloom’ – of Africa. It calls the attention of European countries to make a new chapter of supporting the African aspirations and ambitions. This Impact Monday will be in Dutch, and it starts from 6.30PM – 8PM at the Impact House (Rue Joseph II, 20, 1000 Brussels).
Lerend Netwerk Ondernemerschap ‘Financiering’
Steven Serneels, IFB’s Chair of the Board, will be the keynote speaker in one of the parallel sessions at an event organised by VLAIO. VLAIO is organising an event with the theme of ‘financiering’ with a focus on ‘impactfinanciering’ on 19 April at the office of BNP Paribas Fortis .Steven’s session will be on ‘Het Vlaamse Impactfinancieringlandschap voor starters en kmo’s, de uitdagingen van de toekomst’.
Mark your calendar on Friday, 19 April from 9 AM – 2.30 PM. This event will be held at the office of BNP Paribas Fortis (Warandeberg, 1000 Brussel).
Impact and Impact Measurement and Management Webinar Series (Open to all)
The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) defined 3 principles for Impact Investing namely intentionality, additionality and measurement. In this second webinar, we will focus on the 5 steps of Impact Measurement and Management, as defined by Impact Europe (formerly EVPA). Joining us will be Clara Maspons, a knowledge associate at Impact Europe, to share her insights and experience in measuring impact. We will link those steps to the different phases in the investment process to give you an idea of how these 5 steps can be applied. The webinar lasts for one hour from 12 – 13 CET on Thursday, 25 April 2024.
23 April Members’ Talk (Members and invites only)
Last month, the four regional and federal public investment companies, finance&invest.brussels, PMV, Wallonie Entreprendre, and SFPIM, announced the adoption of a standardized ESG analysis framework for companies. The Impact Scoring Platform comprises non-financial criteria through which a company can construct its sustainability profile in alignment with European standards, enabling companies to easily communicate their performance to various stakeholders, including investors, employees, and customers. This new system was developed through the combined expertise of the investment companies, the technological innovation of the Greenomy scale-up, and the collaboration with VUB.
At IFB, we warmly welcome these collaborations and saw it as a great opportunity to invite finance&invest.brussels, PMV, and SFPIM, to our upcoming members’ talk. During this meeting, they will delve deeper into:
- their strategic choice for sustainable or impact investing,
- the practical implementation of this choice,
- their collaboration in building a shared tool,
- and the insights that we, as members, can learn from this experience.
The invitation, for members only, will be sent in the coming days.
If you cannot make it to April’s Members’ Talk, you can join the following dates. Please mark: 27 June, 10 September, and 10 December on your calendar.
In the height of spring, IFB will organise its Annual General Meeting (for all IFB members) on 14 May. This will be followed by a Spring Drink at the Impact House terrace.
Then, on 8 October, IFB will host the 2024 IFB Members’ Impact Day, a day with expert presentations and discussions, for members and targeted invites. The large-scale Belgian Impact Days, for the wider public, will be run every other year. The third Belgian Impact Day (larger scale, similar to last year) is planned for Q2 of 2025.
More information will be announced soon via IFB LinkedIn and website.
News from Our Community
IFB MEMBER NEWS:
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| # BE.IMPACT New Platform | |
| BE.IMPACT just updated their platform and now it is up and running. If you would like to appear in their funding research engine or participate in their investors/fundraisers matchmaking, contact them or attend one of these onboarding webinars: - session 1 - session 2 |
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| # Alterfin – From Cusco to Brussels, make room for women leading the way in sustainability! | |
| Immerse yourself in the stories of Eleneora and Sheila, two remarkable women who are carving a path to a sustainable future in Latin America with their resilience and determination. Explore how Alterfin’s financial inclusion efforts and leadership transform mere ‘opportunities’ and ’empowerment’ into tangible realities for the 3.4 million women it supports, instilling hope and optimism for a brighter future. Step into the realm of our cooperative’s innovative Gender Lens Investment Strategy and uncover how you, too, can catalyze meaningful change. |
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| # Crédal’s 40th anniversary | |
| Crédal is pleased to invite you to a not-to-be-missed event: our 40th anniversary! On the 1st of June, Crédal will blow out its 40 candles 🎂. You are cordially invited to join us in celebrating this milestone, starting with our annual general meeting followed by an afternoon and evening full of surprises, sharing and celebrations. The event will take place at Be-Here in the city centre of Brussels (Rue Dieudonné Lefèvre 4, 1020 Brussels). Programme: \ 2pm to 4pm: Annual general meeting \ From 4pm: time to party! Take part in a debate with Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Marek Hudon and François Gemenne. Find out more about our clients by visiting the Crédal craft market. There will also be live music, food and drinks … and lots of other surprises to be announced closer to the date. |
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| # HERA Award – Foundation for Future Generations | |
| The HERA Award Sustainable & Responsible Finance 2024 presented by the Foundation for Future Generations went to Juliette Baps (ULiège) and Lisa-Marie Heck (ICHEC) for their respective theses highlighting the need for a European legal framework to drive forward reporting and transparency practices and have a significant impact on the sustainable transition of the finance sector. Find out all about their work and about the other 25 young HERA Awards 2024 winners at the inspiring and festive awards ceremony, the HERA Awards 2024. Join us on 25 April 2024 at UMONS at 05.30 PM to build tomorrow’s world together! | |
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| # Common ESG Approach between SFPIM, PMV and finance&invest.brussels | |
| The 4 Belgian regional and federal public investors, finance&invest.brussels, PMV, Wallonie Entreprendre and SFPIM, adopted a standardized ESG reporting tool for companies developed by Greenomy in collaboration with the Université libre de Bruxelles. A standardized approach makes it possible to make well-considered sustainable investment decisions and at the same time accelerate the environmental transition. | |
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| # KBC – Green bond framework | |
| KBC previously communicated that it had updated its Green Bond Framework. On March 20th, 2024, KBC Group successfully approached the market with a new 8-year Green Bond issuance of € 750,000,000. This marks the first issuance under our updated green bond framework. The use of proceeds will go to the following categories: energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy transactions and clean transportation. More than 100 different investors participated in this issuance which enables KBC to continue to actively support the financing of environmentally sustainable economic activities. |
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| ##### For impact vacancies, please check the IFB Website. |
| ### News from Sibling Organisation |
| Read the latest news and updates from GSG and NABs. - DutchNAB– Breakfast Inspiration Workshop: Regenerative Agri-Food - Impact Europe just published their annual report ‘The Age of Impact’ - After the merger and the birth of FAIR, they have released a new strategic plan which will cover the years 2024 to 2026. |
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