Rethinking impact finance

Impact finance is reshaping how capital engages with society. Belgian investors are now directing capital towards people and planet — an estimated €108–132 billion, or 14% of total assets under management, that promise measurable social and environmental outcomes. Yet success depends on more than numbers: how do investors identify initiatives that are both financially viable and socially meaningful? And how can entrepreneurs translate vision into tangible impact without compromise?

Pierre Harkay, CEO of Impact Finance Belgium (IFB), will outline emerging trends in the sector before moderating a conversation with Lou Garagnani, founder of Le Monde d’Ayden, and Gaetan Herinckx, managing Phitrust Belgium. Lou shares her perspective as a social entrepreneur creating inclusive, sensory-rich spaces for children with neurodevelopmental differences, while Gaetan offers the investor’s lens, showing how capital can support projects that are both sustainable and socially meaningful.

This conversation asks whether capital can truly be a force for inclusion and social progress—and what that might look like in tomorrow’s economy.

This event is organised in collaboration with IF Belgium, a partner of TheMerode.