Dutch society faces a number of major challenges. Banks as links between the financial sector, the real economy and society have an important role to play. The combination of high regulatory pressure (compliance & KYC), new entrants (BigTech and FinTech) and high expectations from society (quality of service), business (accessibility finance), and politics and government (energy transition) put pressure on the banking business model.

The banks cannot make the transition alone. At the same time, they are often alone. Fifteen years after the major financial crisis, the banks in the Netherlands still have few friends. Therefore, Socires and Sustainable Finance Lab (SFL) stimulate the conversation between banks and their stakeholders. We invited businesses, consumers, civil society organisations, etc. to consider the future of banking in the Netherlands. How do we collectively shape crucial social financial functions in the future? What role can the banks play? And who or what stands in the way of this economically sound and socially relevant future for banks? What role can the stakeholders themselves play, and what do we expect from politics and government?