Goodmorning everyone,

Welcome to this very first Febelfin Inspiration Day. A day that revolves around a simple but powerful motto: leave no one behind.

We are therefore delighted to welcome so many of you here today, both from the financial sector and from social organisations and civil society at large. We all share one ambition here today: to make accessibility an everyday reality.

Accessibility is not a luxury. It is not a bonus. It is, for us as Febelfin, an absolute core value. We want to continue building a financial sector that is accessible to everyone, regardless of background, income or digital skills.

Leaving no one behind. Being accessible. It sounds simple. But how do we make inclusiveness a guiding concept, a decisive principle, and not just a buzzword? How do we ensure that innovation is a door wide open and not a wall against which the most vulnerable are crushed?

These are questions that we as Febelfin, as the financial sector, are working on not only today, but every day.

Over the past few years, we have already taken many steps:

DigitAll, Digicoach, toegankelijkbankieren.be. These are all good steps, good initiatives, which you will no doubt hear more about today. But we are not here to pat ourselves on the back. On the contrary, we are here because the work is never done. Because we are at a crossroads. We live in times that are changing at breakneck speed. Economically, technologically and socially. Technology is developing faster than people can keep up with. Financial systems are getting more complicated, not simpler. And the gap between those who can keep up and those who are left behind is widening.

This forces us all to move faster. For those on board, this feels like an express train to a better future full of unprecedented opportunities. But for those left behind, this is nothing less than the perfect storm engulfing everything.

As a financial sector, we need to be aware of this. Any innovation that is a great leap forward for some may be a new barrier for others. An office that closes. A form that can only be found online. A chatbot that does not understand a vulnerable customer's question. For people who are less digital or less financially literate, these are not small changes. For them, they often mean regression rather than progress.

It is important that, as a financial sector, we face this reality. We cannot just look ahead to the next great innovation. We must also continue to look around for those at risk of being left behind. As I said, accessibility is not an afterthought. It is a basic value.

That doesn't mean we should roll back change or slow down our innovations. On the contrary. To get everyone on board, we don't need less innovation. But just more. We need to raise the bar and roll out an approach that brings more people on board. More social innovation. More inclusive innovation. An approach that is not just about access, but also about collaboration and tackling problems in a way that empowers vulnerable groups.

Everything evolves from the question: what does accessibility really mean?

Cooperation and action. That is exactly the purpose of this inspiration day: to join hands, share insights and think together how we make inclusion a reality and demolish barriers.

‘None of us is as smart as all of us.’ (Ken Blanchard). Let that be our credo - not just today. It is the only way forward. Or - to put it in financial terms - in the words of Benjamin Franklin: ‘An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.’ And that return will be many times greater when we put those insights and that knowledge together today.

It is with this philosophy that we have tried to put together a nice and varied programme for today, with speakers from Belgium and abroad. I would like to thank all our speakers in advance for coming and their willingness to share their insights today.

But we are not only counting on them. We are also really counting on you today. Each block will allow ample time for question and answer, for dialogue. I would therefore like to cordially invite you to actively participate, share your feedback, insights and thoughts so that today we can inspire each other to lower barriers and build a financial sector that is truly there for everyone.

Thank you, and I wish you an inspiring day!