- employment policy | microfinance
- Tuesday 14 June 2022, 10:00 - 11:00 (CEST)
Practical information
- When
- Tuesday 14 June 2022, 10:00 - 11:00 (CEST)
- Where
- Online Online
- Languages
- English
Description
The social enterprise finance sector is a growing field, and we can constantly observe new logics and operating models.
One of these models is the Berlin-based project because, which defines itself as a “Giving Fintech”. It is based on years of research on the mobilisation of private wealth for the public good. The platform is pioneering new forms for investing and giving and is currently in a test phase with a closed user group.
Felix Oldenburg will introduce the participants to the ideas and insights, which led to the development of the platform and the key functionalities.
Overall, the pandemic has accelerated the acceptance and diffusion of digital collaboration and remote working tools. This digitalisation trend will continue as recent studies all show how digitalisation remains a priority for financial institutions. Among the interesting areas is the use of data to generate insights, which requires organisations to set up an internal data infrastructure.
One of the organisations that has worked on improving their data management is Inpulse. Inpulse is a Brussels-based impact-driven fund manager with a current outstanding portfolio of €43 million. Nicolas Blondeau will talk about the context and share his insights on the opportunities and challenges of creating a new data management system.
The workshop will be moderated by Wolfgang Spiess-Knafl. He will give an introduction to current developments in the field and outline potential future scenarios. His presentation will be based on his recent book on “Artificial intelligence and blockchain for social impact” which will be published later this year.
The three speakers will deliver an interactive online session.
Speakers
- Felix Oldenburg is Co-Founder of project because and Board Member of gut.org. Previously, he served as Secretary General of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen, the largest membership organisation in European philanthropy, and as Chair of the Donors and Foundations Networks in Europe (DAFNE), representing 10,000 organisations from 29 countries. Felix also led Ashoka in Germany and Europe. Felix studied Philosophy in Germany, the UK, and the US, and started his career as an internet entrepreneur and management consultant. He received several awards for his work, and frequently writes and speaks about social innovation, entrepreneurship and finance.
- Nicolas Blondeau is an enthusiastic and committed professional with 20 years of experience in the microfinance sector. He first started his career in the field (Brazil, Kosovo and Guatemala), and then worked for private and public investment companies in Europe (Incofin IM, BIO and ADA). In his different responsibilities, Nicolas developed an extensive knowledge of the microfinance sector, especially in Africa, f.i. as Board member of a Tanzanian MFI or following up a leading African investment fund. Nicolas holds a bachelor in Business Administration from the Louvain-la-Neuve University, in Belgium, and a Master in Development Cooperation from the Free Brussels University. Nicolas speaks French, Dutch, English and Spanish.
- Wolfgang Spiess-Knafl is working at the European Center for Social Finance, which is implementing EaSI Technical Assistance services on behalf of the European Commission. He has an engineering background and started his career in investment banking. Wolfgang has been active in the field of social finance since 2009. His current main interests are emerging new technologies and the intersection of social and environmental objectives.
How to participate?
If you are interested in participating in this event, please fill in the participation form.
The webinar is financed by the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and attendance is free-of-charge.