Banca Etica Launches Fundraiser for Women’s Economic Independence

Economic independence is the key to combating gender-based violence. For this reason, Banca Etica and Etica Sgr have launched, on November 25th, a fundraiser for the 11 projects selected by the Impatto+ 2025 Call, titled “Beyond Gender-Based Violence, Economic Independence.

“The crowdfunding campaigns will be conducted through Produzioni dal Basso and are aimed at supporting financial education, job training, and access to credit for women experiencing economic violence. Thanks to Etica Sgr’s Microfinance and Crowdfunding Fund, projects reaching 70% of their goal will receive a non-repayable grant increased to 30% (from 25% in previous editions).

The call by Banca Etica is specifically aimed at supporting initiatives that offer women concrete ways to escape economic violence. Etica Sgr’s support for crowdfunding is provided through its Microfinance and Crowdfunding Fund (funded by subscribers of ethical investment funds who choose to donate €1 for every €1,000 invested).

Projects that reach at least 70% of their budget will receive a 30% non-repayable grant from Etica Sgr. Projects that exceed 100% of their estimated budget will receive a one-time bonus of 5% of their initial goal.

The Banca Etica Group’s commitment: the “Monetine” project and credit

The Impatto+ Call is part of a broader ecosystem of initiatives promoted by the Banca Etica Group for women’s autonomy, in synergy with anti-violence centers, businesses, and institutions.

The Monetine project represents a set of concrete actions that directly address economic violence: in money management, access to services, and relationships with financial institutions. Banca Etica was the first in Italy to develop an internal training program for banking staff to recognize the signs of economic violence and intervene, identifying and supporting women in need.

Continuing the process initiated with Monetine, the Fondazione Finanza Etica, together with the Fondazione NOI of Legacoop Toscana, is developing training programs for cooperative staff managers dedicated to the issue of economic violence and to building synergies between anti-violence centers, businesses, and regional institutions.

Credit for women and women-owned businesses. Credit for women is a constant focus for Banca Etica: in 2024, Banca Etica financed 324 women-owned businesses (26.8% of the organizations financed), exceeding the national average (22.2%). New loans amounted to €70 million. Regarding personal loans, 46.8% of new loans were granted to women.

This commitment is extended through the agreement signed in 2024 with the EIB (European Investment Bank) for a €30 million loan, of which at least 30% will be allocated to projects promoting gender equality and workplace inclusion. In the first year, €815,000 was disbursed for five operations related to this objective.

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First published in Venetoeeconomia. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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