Global Alliance for Banking on Values

07/10/2026

Some programmes teach you leadership theory. The GABV Leadership Academy changes how you lead.

For over a decade, it has brought together senior professionals from values-based financial institutions across the world, not just to learn, but to grow. Through cutting-edge leadership methods, peer coaching, and immersive learning journeys hosted by GABV member banks, participants leave with something that goes beyond skills: a clearer sense of purpose, deeper self-awareness, and a global community of peers who share the same conviction that finance can be a force for good.

More than 300 leaders and 50+ nationalities. This is a programme that keeps transforming both the people who go through it and the institutions they lead.

Swipe to hear it in their own words of the participants.

Applications for the 12th edition close 30 October 2026. The programme runs from January to October 2027.

🔗 Apply today: https://www.gabv.org/transforming-finance/leadership-academy/

06/10/2026

The GABV Africa Chapter Meeting 2026, hosted by Enat Bank, brought together our African members alongside Supporting Partners FMO and the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation.

The public event on day one saw member banks from Madagascar, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda share how values-based banking delivers real impact in their countries. That afternoon, Surjit Chana, Board Member of Beneficial State Bank and Harvard Fellow, joined us to engage members on the Moral Architecture for AI in Finance, an important framework for the responsible use of AI that our movement is helping to shape.

Day two focused on ESG and sustainable finance, with a standout highlight: Enat Bank's gender bond, Ethiopia's first, and the first corporate bond issued by a bank in the country's nascent capital market.

During the meeting, GABV Executive Director Martin Rohner spoke to the Ethiopian News Agency about what he witnessed first-hand: “Ethiopia is a huge country. It has tremendous economic potential, which still is untapped. The vision is clear. The policy framework is pointing in the right direction.”

Thank you to Chair and Co-Founder Aster Solomon, CEO Dr. Ermias Andarge, and CFO Tigist Abate for their exceptional hospitality. Founded by women entrepreneurs for women entrepreneurs, Enat Bank is exactly the kind of institution this movement is built on.

We leave Addis Ababa inspired.

🔗 Read more: https://capitalethiopia.com/2026/10/04/enat-bank-hosts-gabv-africa-meeting-as-ethiopia-pursues-financial-sector-reform/

25/09/2026

📢 Deadline extended. There is still time to apply for the 2026/2027 Academy for Values-Based Governance!

Open to governing Board members from across the GABV network, the Academy is delivered by the Institute for Values-Based Governance in collaboration with GABV. It is designed to deepen Board-level knowledge of supervision from a values-based perspective, a topic that sits at the heart of what our member institutions stand for.

The results speak for themselves: nine out of ten past participants rated the programme as very good or excellent, and ranked it as very or extremely relevant to their role as Board members.

The next cohort starts 26 October 2026. 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝟭𝟱 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

🔗Register today: https://www.gabv.org/transforming-finance/academy-for-values-based-governance/

22/09/2026

Last week, Bishkek made history as the first city in Central Asia to host the GABV Asia-Pacific Chapter Meeting.

Hosted by Kompanion Bank (Компаньон) on 16–17 September, the gathering brought together values-based banking leaders from Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Nepal and beyond to exchange experiences and explore shared priorities, from digital transformation and financial inclusion to SME support and stronger international banking cooperation.

A key highlight was the international GABV Forum on Innovations in International Payments and Remittances, bringing together the National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, IFAD, IFC, Visa, the European Union and Kyrgyzstan’s financial sector for a practical discussion on expanding access to modern financial services across the region.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to strengthen GABV’s regional connections. Ahead of the gathering, GABV Executive Director Martin Rohner and Asia-Pacific Regional Representative Upendra Poudyal visited three member banks across Central Asia, Ipak Yuli Bank in Uzbekistan, ICB Tajikistan and ҶСП Бонки "Арванд" in Tajikistan, to deepen relationships and shared priorities.

A heartfelt thank you to Kompanion Bank and Chairperson Margarita Cherikbaeva for the exceptional welcome and for making this important milestone possible.

🔗Read more:

On 16–17 September 2026, Bishkek hosted the Asia-Pacific Chapter Meeting of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), organised by Kompanion Bank. It was the first time an Asia-Pacific regional meeting had been held in Central Asia. Amsterdam/Bishkek, 21 September 2026. The Asia-Pacific Ch...

16/09/2026

This week, we are in Kyrgyzstan for the GABV Asia-Pacific Chapter Meeting 2026. It is our first regional gathering of the year, and the first time the Asia-Pacific Chapter has ever convened in Central Asia. Hosted by Kompanion Bank (Компаньон), our first and only Kyrgyz member, we are grateful for the warm welcome.

Around the table are CEOs and senior leaders from our member banks spanning one of the world's most diverse regions. Different countries, different contexts, different challenges. And one shared conviction: finance can and should serve people and communities, not just returns.

Over the coming days, we'll be talking about what that looks like in practice. How values-based banks balance purpose and growth. How remittances and correspondent banking can work better for those who need them. How trade finance can open doors for SMEs. And how we finance the green infrastructure the region needs.

We will also hear from central bankers, international experts, and local industry leaders. Because the best conversations happen when different perspectives share the same room.

15/09/2026

What if the most dangerous climate myth isn't denial, but delay?

For years, the world has largely accepted the science, endorsed climate goals, and promised action. Yet one message continues to shape the global response: "We have more time."

In a thought-provoking new essay, Ingmar Rentzhog, founder and CEO of We Don't Have Time, reflects on a decade spent working on the climate crisis and explores why this idea has become one of the biggest barriers to meaningful action. He also challenges the opposite narrative that is gaining ground: "It's too late, so nothing matters."

The truth lies somewhere in between. And understanding it is essential if we are to move from promises to progress.

🔗Read the full essay: https://thebiggestlie.wedonthavetime.org/ -out-the-lie

10/09/2026

We asked the 10th cohort of the GABV Leadership Academy to describe their experience in one word. Watch the video below to hear it directly from them.

Over the years, more than 300 participants from 50+ nationalities have come through this programme and their words say it all. The Leadership Academy is a transformative learning journey designed for senior professionals in values-based financial institutions, equipping participants with the leadership capacity, self-awareness and practical tools needed to navigate complexity and lead change with purpose.

Registration is now open for the 12th edition, running from January to October 2027. Applications close 30 October 2026.

🔗 Learn more and apply: https://www.gabv.org/transforming-finance/leadership-academy/

08/09/2026

Can a mission-driven bank use AI responsibly? That is the question Beneficial State Bank is grappling with in real time.

This Fast Company piece explores how B Corps are being forced to define what responsible AI use actually looks like, weighing the technology's potential to reduce bias and expand financial inclusion against its carbon footprint, lack of transparency, and governance risks.

As Terra Neilson, Beneficial State Bank's Chief Impact Officer, puts it: "AI is definitely in a world of its own because of the potential to bury the trail between decision and impact."

For values-based banks, the question is how to engage with AI in a way that is coherent with the mission. This article is a timely starting point for that conversation.

🔗 Read now:

As mission-driven companies turn to AI, they are being forced to define what responsible use actually looks like.

04/09/2026

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02/09/2026

Warnings about ecological collapse used to come from environmental groups. They are now coming from central banks.

The European Central Bank (ECB) has identified the destruction of nature and the escalation of extreme weather as a growing threat to global financial stability.

The evidence is already here. This summer, the Rhine reached its lowest recorded level at the Dutch border, pushing freight rates from Rotterdam from USD 52 to nearly USD 173 per tonne. Nuclear plants in Hungary and Romania were forced to reduce output as river cooling capacity fell. Wildfires across Europe have caused an estimated USD 3.6 billion in economic losses in just two months.

This is precisely why values-based banks have long argued that finance and ecology cannot be separated. A financial system that ignores ecological risk is not stable. It is fragile.

A timely and important read from Vision of Humanity.

Read now: https://www.visionofhumanity.org/how-the-climate-crisis-is-becoming-a-financial-stability-risk/