The CEO of the Cooperative Bank of Karditsa, Mr. Panagiotis Tournavitis, was unanimously elected President of the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers (FEBEA), during the Federation’s Annual General Assembly on 25 September 2026 in Venice.
In the renewed FEBEA administration, Mr. Tournavitis is joined by the new vice president, Mr. Andrea Baranes (Banca Etica), as well as 11 additional member-representatives of European ethical financial institutions.
The General Assembly, which this year was hosted by Banca Etica, brought together representatives of FEBEA’s 32 members, EU institutions, political bodies, and social economy organizations. Also present were FEBEA’s European partners, such as the European Commission, the European Investment Bank, the European Investment Fund, and the Council of Europe Development Bank.
From the podium of the General Assembly, Mr. Tournavitis warmly thanked the members of FEBEA for their trust, noting that: «the FEBEA network, which consists of financial institutions grounded in ethical and responsible banking and is active throughout Europe, has proven—in each of the recent crises—that financing with deep roots in local communities is resilient and constitutes a key driver for social cohesion and regional development.
Undoubtedly, we face serious risks—but the risk I fear most is introversion. In a Europe that is turning inward, the temptation is to turn to one’s own market, one’s own country, one’s own members—this is precisely the temptation against which FEBEA was founded, and I am convinced that this is our moment».
About FEBEA
The European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks and Financiers - FEBEA is an international non-profit organization based in Brussels. It was founded in 2001 and constitutes a European network of financial institutions with a common orientation toward the development of ethical, social, and alternative finance.
Today, the Federation consists of 32 financial institutions from 17 European countries. It operates as a platform for cooperation, exchange of expertise, and representation of ethical finance at the European level. At the same time, it participates in dialogue with the European institutions and supports the development of financing tools and initiatives that strengthen the social economy and sustainable development.