Finance For Society Forum 2025 – Brussels – 4 December

As we face growing challenges and tensions rise in the form of trade wars, inflation and regulatory rollbacks, we are in a critical moment where we must come together in support of resilient, just economies.

Organised by Finance Watch, the Finance for Society Forum is a high-level event held biennially to bring together policymakers, academics, civil society, and financial sector professionals to shape the future of finance. The forum will serve as a vital space to assemble civil society and exchange ideas and strategies to face deregulatory pressures such as cuts, delays and rollbacks of key legislation, and create a cohesive vision of a financial system for all.

This year’s slogan is ‘Financial reform for the new economy’. We invite you to explore how we can defend and advance a financial system that works for the people and the planet as we face an era of polycrisis and uncertainty, marked by economic (inflation), environmental (climate and biodiversity) and geopolitical crises (war and international divide). We’ll be tackling pressing issues linked to this deregulatory moment, like how to curb climate change, shape our digital futures, and ensure economic justice.

Secure your spot via the registration form below to contribute to the conversation on a new economy!

Why attend?

• Join a community committed to financial reform and social and environmental justice
• Exchange ideas on pressing issues like climate finance, inclusion and consumer protection, and AI and digital finance
• Champion financial reforms and push back against regulatory erosion with collective action and strategy
• Hear from leading voices across policy, academia and activism
• Engage in workshops and panels designed to share finance insights and advocacy skills, as well as spark collaboration and build impact

Who is it for?

• Civil society organisations
• Academics and researchers
• Financial reform advocates
• Finance professionals committed to responsible finance

Working Programme

9:00 – 9:30 Registration and breakfast

9:30 – 10:30 Introduction and LIVE KEYNOTE 1 with Geoff Mann: Reimagining finance for a planet in crisis with moderation by Benoît Lallemand (Finance Watch) – The Theatre

From climate breakdown to political instability and economic volatility, overlapping crises are testing the foundations of global governance. In this keynote session, Distinguished Professor of Political Economy at Simon Fraser University and Senior Fellow with the Institute for New Economic Thinking, Geoff Mann will examine the uncertainties generated by the complex of current crises, the role that finance has played in exacerbating them, as well as its potential role in helping to overcome them. By delving into what and who finance is for, he will explore how it might be reimagined to serve people and the planet, rather than destabilise them. What could finance contribute to our fight for a collective planetary future?

Geoff Mann’s writing and research focus on uncertainty and crisis in contemporary capitalist societies, and in the ways the state attempts to address political, economic and ecological crises: the policies it develops, the ideas and politics that shape those policies, and the historical and political-economic conditions that make those ideas make sense. He is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books, the New York Review of Books, Dissent, and the New Statesman. His most recent books are Climate Leviathan: A Political Theory of Our Planetary Future (2018); In the Long Run We Are All Dead: Keynesianism, Political Economy and Revolution (2017); and Money and Finance After the Crisis: Critical Thinking for Uncertain Times (2017).

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee break with Désorceler la Finance collective

11:00 – 12:10 PARALLEL SESSIONS 1: How can we change finance?

These interactive sessions dive into the strategies and skills needed to drive meaningful change. Whether you’re shaping public discourse or advocating for financial reform, these sessions provide practical insights to turn ideas into action.

• Mobilising public pressure and targeting (unlikely) advocacy allies with Neil Campbell (The Good Lobby) – The Theatre
  Changing the system means building unexpected bridges and using public pressure to move mountains. This workshop will guide participants through identifying and engaging unconventional allies to strengthen advocacy impact and broaden coalitions, as well as offer practical tools for mobilisation beyond joint letters and position papers. 
• Countering the power of deregulatory narratives with Daniel Stanley (Future Narratives Lab) – Room 7
  This workshop will be a collaborative session to interrogate the framings and assertions that advocates of the deregulatory agenda use in attempting to shape the terms of debate, and to work together to develop approaches to undermine and counter them. Attendees will participate in group discussions and interactive exercises, exploring how a deeper understanding of the appeals and arguments of the deregulatory agenda can be the basis for collective efforts to push back, and reclaim the conversation. Daniel Stanley has worked with campaigns, coalitions, foundations and political parties in the UK and globally to develop strategies for broadening the appeal of alternative social and economic propositions. He is Executive Director at Future Narratives Lab, and on the Board of economic development co-operative Stir to Action.
• Campaigning for financial reform 20 years after the crisis, with Till Ehrmann (We Move Europe) – Rooms 3 and 1
  What are the ingredients of a good campaign for financial reform? This session introduces real-world case studies to inform collective thinking with participants on THE longer-term discussion: what would be the hooks, resources and collective actions to revive finance reform momentum, 20 years after the crisis.

12:15 – 13:15 PANEL SESSION: Moving from finance for the few to finance for society with Thomas Fazi, Christine Berry, Andrew Watt (ETUI) and Dirk Ehnts with moderation by Marek Hudon (Finance Watch) – The Theatre

In a time of growing geopolitical fragmentation and rising nationalist agendas, economic policy is increasingly shaped by the interests of the ultra-wealthy. This plenary will explore how power dynamics are distorting financial systems and undermining democratic governance. Speakers will unpack the corporate capture of finance and discuss how we can reclaim economic policy to serve the broader needs of society rather than a privileged few.

13:15 – 14:15 Lunch with Désorceler la Finance collective

14:15 – 15:15 LIVE KEYNOTE 2 with Ann Pettifor: Challenging the global casino by building economic and climate justice with moderation by Greg Ford (Finance Watch) – The Theatre

Ann Pettifor will discuss the pressing challenges of rising inequality and corporate capture and address how we could build a more just global financial system. From the rollback of financial safeguards to the growing urgency to protect green rules, we’ll examine the impact of polycrisis and deregulation on Europe and the international financial architecture. This session asks: what pivotal shifts could reshape the financial system and make it serve society? How would this new system help to revive democracy?

Ann Pettifor is a political economist and author known for her work on sovereign debt and international financial architecture, advocating for approaches that address the ongoing and chronic failure of the global economy and climate change. She led the Jubilee 2000 campaign, which resulted in the cancellation of approximately $100 billion of debt owed by the poorest countries. In 2006, she rose to prominence by predicting the 2008 crash in her book The Coming First World Debt Crisis. Now, she is Director of PRIME, a network of economists that promote Keynes’s monetary theory and policies, and that focus on the role of the finance sector in the economy. She is the author of The Production of Money (2017) and The Case for the Green New Deal (2019), works that have shaped debates on climate action and fairer financial systems. Most recently, she is set to release her new book The Global Casino: How Wall Street Gambles with People and the Planet (2026).

15:15 – 15:45 Coffee break with Désorceler la Finance collective

15:45 – 16:45 PARALLEL SESSIONS 2: What’s at stake in finance? 

As finance undergoes rapid transformation, these sessions explore the issues shaping its future. From ensuring a just transition to navigating the uncharted risks of AI and designing a digital euro that truly serves the public, each discussion tackles urgent questions at the heart of financial stability and equity.

• Sustainable finance for a socially just transition with Marek Hudon (Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Finance Watch) – Room 7
  Deregulatory efforts are chipping away at existing protections, narrowing the focus to climate change, overlooking  a broader range of sustainable objectives and societal concerns. Yet, we cannot achieve a sustainable transition without addressing the impact of climate action on society. This roundtable will explore how the financial system can support frontline communities and marginalised peoples to ensure a socially just transition.
• The new wild west of artificial intelligence with Adriana Cuppuleri (Algorithm Watch) and Leevi Saari (AI Now Institute), moderated by Christian M. Stiefmüller (Finance Watch) – The Theatre
  AI is charging into the world of work and finance: It’s fast, powerful, and largely unregulated. AI systems are increasingly deciding access to essential financial services, like who gets a loan or bank account, and how much insurance costs. Yet Europe’s rules aren’t keeping pace; they’re retreating and cannot sufficiently manage the risks posed by complex, opaque and highly automated systems. From algorithmic trading to automated lending decisions, this session unpacks how Big Tech’s growing influence is reshaping our financial system, and our entire society.
• A digital euro that serves the public interest with Laura Casonato (Positive Money) and Mireia Llambrich Anto (BEUC) – Room 3 and 1
  As Europe’s plans for a digital euro are moving forward, the decision-making process must be transparent, inclusive and based on the public interest. But the legislative process has stalled due to pressure from the banking lobby. As a result, the digital euro, along with its potential to redefine European retail payments and ensure European monetary sovereignty, is at risk. The session aims to foster a shared understanding, reinforce common messages, and lay the groundwork for collaborative actions and campaigns that promote the public interest in the digital euro. We will explore how a Central Bank Digital Currency can strengthen financial inclusion, protect privacy, and challenge the dominance of foreign payment services.

16:50 – 17:45 Building a counter-offensive to deregulation with Désorceler la Finance collective – The Theatre, Rooms 1,3 and 7

Across the world, deregulation is accelerating and intensifying multiple crises. With Europe now a central battleground for these rollback efforts, civil society must respond with ambition and resolve. In this series of workshops, participants will explore strategies to defend and proactively strengthen regulation in the public interest. Led by Désorceler la Finance, a collective of artists, activists, and researchers, the session will use experimental and creative methods to rethink financial systems and imagine alternatives. Participants will engage directly with hands-on exercises, discussions, and interventions that make the abstract dynamics of finance tangible and actionable.

17:45 – 18:00 Closing remarks – The Theatre

18:00 – 19:00 Networking and evening drinks

Online streaming: publicly accessible on our YouTube channel.

To get the latest Finance Watch updates, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on X, Bluesky and/or Threads.