OUR WORK
MEETUPS
With our #consciousfintech meetup series we invite pioneers, forward thinkers and change agents in sustainability, information technology and finance to present and discuss innovative fintech approaches. Together with our community of almost 800 followers we critically debate the possibilities and ethics of financial technologies (fintech), elaborate on the foundations of Conscious Fintech and challenge concepts and startups from the nascent industry.
MONITORING
Since we started with our meetup series we have gained a good overview of fintechs (mainly in Germany) which pursue sustainability goals. We summarized our findings on behalf of the “Green Digital Finance Alliance” in early 2020 here and we continue and expand our monitor continously. See the SDG-Fintech-database here and add services that are missing here.
PUBLICATIONS / WORKSHOPS
ABOUT
OUR STORY
In March 2016 we brought together the “Conscious Fintech scene” in a meetup in Berlin for the very first time. With active community involvement in subsequent meetups, we developed “A Roadmap to Conscious Fintech” (2017/2018) and compiled a first German mapping of fintechs that contribute to the Global Sustainable Development Goals (2020). We organized several meetups in Berlin, Hamburg and Zurich, imparted our knowledge at universities and presented Conscious Fintech at Fintech Week, Germany’s largest fintech event. Get in touch with us if you want to bring Conscious Fintech to your community!
CONSCIOUS FINTECH
There is no fixed definition for “Conscious Fintech”. Together with our meetup community, we have compiled the following “6 Principles” that were considered most important:
– Ecological and Social Impact oriented
– Enhancing financial resilience
– People and stakeholder oriented
– Democratically governed
– Accessible and convenient
– Empowering and educative
Support us in elaborating a more sophisticated definition and integration with existing impact assessment schemes!
OUR VISION
“Fintech should contribute to a sound world” is our vision in one sentence. Without normative guidelines and recommendations for action, this may not happen on its own. In our publication “A Roadmap to Conscious Fintech” we have identified major potentials, instruments and measures in the spheres of education and research, networking and events, hubs and incubators, and policy, that should be taken into account that would help Conscious Fintechs to thrive. Work wih our initiative and join the growing Conscious Fintech community to help make this vision a reality.
COORDINATOR
Conscious Fintech was initiated by Jan Bonhorst, Sanika Hufeland and Konstantin Wolf. After the first meetups, Pola Vayner, Markus Duscha and Ludwig Schuster joined the team. Today Markus is the driving force behind Conscious Fintech.
Markus Duscha
CEO Fair Finance Institute
