• Cooperative Bank of Karditsa hosts the Europe Chapter Meeting of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) on 12-13 November

• The meeting will connect European banking leaders with the local experience of a cooperative bank focused on financial inclusion and resilient communities

Karditsa, Greece, 11 November 2026 – Cooperative Bank of Karditsa hosts the Europe Chapter Meeting of Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), bringing European values-based banking leaders to Karditsa (Greece) on 12-13 November.

The meeting will cover stablecoins and the digital euro, cybersecurity in cooperative banking, the ethics of AI in finance, mergers and acquisitions, and values-based investing. Contributors include the Greek Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Bank of Greece, the University of Rome Tor Vergata and GABV members from Europe, Australia and the United States. It ends with a learning journey to the Municipality of Karditsa’s Entrepreneurship Support Center for Unemployed and Disadvantaged Citizens, the Karditsa Women Centre and the under establishment National Competence Centre for Social Innovation.

Panagiotis Tournavitis, CEO of Cooperative Bank of Karditsa:

“We are proud to welcome the GABV Europe Chapter to Karditsa. Financial inclusion is central to our role as a cooperative bank: it means listening closely to our community and making sure viable people and enterprises are not held back by products or requirements that do not reflect their reality.”

Financial inclusion in practice

This event takes place two days after Banking on Values Day, the annual campaign of this global movement. This year’s theme, Faces of Inclusion, looks at the many forms financial exclusion takes and at practical ways to make finance work better for people, businesses and communities.

Cooperative Bank of Karditsa has a strong focus on financial inclusion. The Bank has InvestEU-backed guarantee agreements with the European Investment Fund. Through them it offers microfinance and social-enterprise loans without hard collateral and at reduced cost to small businesses, self-employed people and vulnerable groups. A EUR 10 million programme loan from the Council of Europe Development Bank, together with a EUR 718,000 grant for training, coaching and mentoring, helps underserved groups start and grow businesses. The Erasmus+ projects UpFin and DiFiLiR provide practical and digital financial education.

About the GABV Europe Chapter

The Europe Chapter consists of 21 banks in 16 countries: 3Bank (Serbia), ABS (Switzerland) ACBA Bank (Armenia), Banca Etica (Italy, Spain), CAF Bank (UK), Charity Bank (UK), Cooperative Bank of Karditsa (Greece), Credo Bank (Georgia), Center-invest Bank (Russia), Cultura Bank (Norway), Ecology Building Society (UK), Ekobanken (Sweden), Freie Gemeinschaftsbank (Switzerland), GLS Bank (Germany), Laboral Kutxa (Spain), MagNet Bank (Hungary), Merkur (Denmark), SozialBank (Germany), Triodos Bank (Netherlands, Spain, UK, Germany, Belgium), Unity Trust Bank (UK) and vdk bank (Belgium). In total, they serve 5.5 million customers, manage USD 100 billion in assets and employ 17,000 people. The President of the Europe Chapter is Maria Flock Åhlander, CEO of Ekobanken (Sweden).

About Cooperative Bank of Karditsa

Established in 1994, Cooperative Bank of Karditsa is a locally governed cooperative financial institution serving the region of Thessaly. Its mission focuses on the economic, social and cultural interests of its members and on financing the local real economy, particularly small businesses, farmers, self-employed people, cooperatives and social enterprises. The Bank combines locally informed products and decision-making with partnerships that support sustainable development, social inclusion and regional resilience.

About the Global Alliance for Banking on Values

The Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) is a network of independent banks and credit unions using finance to deliver sustainable economic, social and environmental development. The GABV comprises 74 financial institutions operating in 48 countries across Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America and Europe. Collectively, they serve more than 50 million customers and hold over USD 290 billion in combined assets under management.

Cooperative Bank of Karditsa
Eleni Bletsa
Head of Sustainable Development and Strategic Partnerships’ Department
empletsa@bankofkarditsa.com
+30 24410 40099 int. 3152