Finance for society in the heart of Brussels-Europe

Since the financial crisis of 2008, and its aftershocks, the need to rethink finance and its role in society has become an ongoing priority. Faced with economic, social, technological and geopolitical challenges, it is essential to put in place financial mechanisms that promote the common good and contribute to a more resilient economy.

Brussels, the regulatory capital of Europe, is a strategic location for this transformation. The presence of the European institutions (Commission, Parliament, Council), the Single Resolution Board and numerous business and civil society organizations makes it a privileged center for exchanges and initiatives concerning financial regulation and innovation.

In this context, the Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management (SBS-EM) is committed to strengthening its collective reputation by emphasizing collaboration and the exchange of ideas, encouraging cooperation between industry players and stakeholders for more inclusive and responsible finance.

The Public Policy House plays a central role in providing a welcoming and flexible space, conducive to debate and reflection on financial and societal issues. Thanks to its openness and accessibility, it facilitates interaction between experts, decision-makers and stakeholders.

Major themes addressed from a European perspective

To place finance in a societal and European perspective, several key areas are explored:

Finance and macroeconomics

Financial mechanisms have a direct influence on the stability and growth of European Union Member States. Monetary and macroprudential policies, strategic investments and business cycle management are all levers for ensuring sustainable and equitable development across the continent.

Financial regulation and supervision, crisis management and resolution

Since the 2008 crisis, the European Union has become a major player in financial regulation. Banking and market supervision, consumer protection and risk management are reinforced by institutions such as the European Central Bank Single Supervisory Mechanism and the European Securities and Markets Authority.

Sustainable finance

In a context of the ecological and social transitions, sustainable finance has become a priority. The European Union is developing regulatory frameworks, such as green taxonomy and sustainable bonds, to steer investments towards responsible projects that respect future generations. It is also developing frameworks to induce investors to take sustainability risks into account when making investment decision and to engage with portfolio companies.

Corporate governance and financial risk management

The economic resilience of European companies depends on solid governance standards and proactive financial risk management. Transparency, ethics and accountability are essential to guaranteeing the stability of institutions and markets. The EU has adopted regulation to induce companies to mitigate supply chain risk and to decarbonise. These measures increasingly contrast with policies pursued in other parts of the world.

Financial infrastructures, fintech and big tech

Digital transformation is redefining financial services on a European scale. The rise of fintechs and the growing involvement of big tech companies raise questions of regulation, security and fairness. Europe needs to strike a balance between innovation, financial stability and consumer protection in order to make the most of new technologies.

By incorporating these issues into its thinking, finance can truly become a driving force for progress and stability, at the service of European society and economic policies.

Finance for Society

Leader of the pillar 



Mathias Dewatripont
Professor
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Mathias Dewatripont is a professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and co-director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Healthcare (I3h). With a doctorate in economics from Harvard, he was Executive Director (2011-2017) and Vice-Governor (2014-2015) of the National Bank of Belgium, which he represented on the Basel Committee and the Supervisory Board of the ECB Single Supervisory Mechanism. A specialist in the theory of contracts, incentives and regulation applied to banking and innovation, he is the author of numerous articles and reference works, including The Prudential Regulation of Banks (with Jean Tirole, MIT Press, 1994) and Balancing the Banks: Global Lessons from the Financial Crisis (with Jean-Charles Rochet and Jean Tirole, Princeton UP, 2010). Winner of the 1998 Francqui Prize and the 2003 Yrjö Jahnsson Medal, he is member of the Royal Academy of Belgium, the Academia Europaea and foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Economic Association.

Co-leaders of the pillar 



André Sapir
Professor



André Sapir is Professor Emeritus at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Senior Fellow at Bruegel and Research Fellow at CEPR. With a doctorate in economics from Johns Hopkins University, he has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva and the College of Europe in Bruges, and has been a guest researcher at the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO. A former economic adviser to the European Commission, first to the Director-General for Economic and Financial Affairs and then to President Prodi, he was also a member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the European Systemic Risk Council. His work focuses mainly on European integration, international trade and globalisation.  



Peter Praet
Professor



Peter Praet is a Fellow at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (ULB) and Distinguished Fellow at the CEPR. He holds a doctorate in economics from the ULB and was a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank and its Chief Economist from 2011 to 2019, responsible for preparing and proposing monetary policy decisions. From 2000 to 2011, he was executive board member of the National Bank of Belgium and at the Belgian financial supervision authority, notably responsible for financial stability and banking and insurance regulation. Previously he was Chief of Staff to the Belgian Minister of Finance, Chief Economist of Fortis Bank, an economist at the IMF and Professor at ULB. A specialist in monetary issues, financial stability and banking regulation, he has sat on numerous European and international committees, including the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the OECD.



Guntram Wolff
Professor



Guntram Wolff is Professor of Economics at the Université libre de Bruxelles (Solvay Brussels School/ECARES, Euroclear Chair in Sustainable Finance), Senior Fellow at Bruegel and at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. A former director of Bruegel (2013-2022) and the German Council on Foreign Relations (2022-2024), he specialises in European integration, geopolitical and defence economics, macroeconomics and climate policy. His research is published in leading academic journals such as Nature, Science, Energy Policy and the Journal of European Public Policy. An expert regularly invited by the ECOFIN Council and European parliaments, his work is widely reported in the major international media.     



Marco Becht
Professor



Marco Becht is Professor of Finance and holds the Goldschmidt Chair in Corporate Governance and Stewardship at the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (ULB), as well as Visiting Professor at Imperial College London. Founder and Executive Director of the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), he is also a Fellow in Financial Economics at CEPR and co-founder of the Global Corporate Governance Colloquia. He has taught at a number of renowned institutions, including Oxford and St. Gallen. A recognised expert in corporate governance and financial market law, he regularly advises public and private institutions. His research on ESG engagement in Japan won the PRI Award for Outstanding Research in 2023.
Updated on February 26, 2026