World Impact Summit: acting together for a desirable and accessible transition
Monday 9 February
As a major partner of the World Impact Summit 2026, Groupe BPCE reaffirmed its position in favour of a sustainable economy on February 5 and 6. Through the interventions of its experts, the group shared a vision and a pragmatic strategy to meet societal and environmental challenges. At the heart of this mobilization: making the impact accessible to all, based on its territorial cooperative model.
An ambition for all: to make the transition desirable and accessible
From the opening session, Valérie Combes-Santonja, Groupe BPCE’s Director of Impact, set the framework for the group’s commitment. To succeed, the transition must be desirable and accessible to all citizens and businesses. This vision is expressed in a method of action based on the triptych: raising awareness to make people understand the issues, advising to define appropriate trajectories, and providing global and financing solutions to make projects a reality.
This approach is guided by three fundamental principles: acting consciously based on science, acting in numbers by federating energies thanks to its cooperative model, and acting as closely as possible to needs thanks to its intimate knowledge of the territories.
The financial engine: directing capital to transform the world
Philippe Zaouati, Chief Executive Officer of Mirova, a management company affiliated with Natixis IM, gave his position on the role of players in the financial sector. Sustainable finance must now enter a new era. Beyond reducing emissions, its mission is to actively and massively finance the transition and adaptation of our economies.
How can the necessary capital be mobilised? The answer lies in part in the ‘remobilisation’ of European savings. Ensuring Europe’s economic, technological and defence stability and resilience is a prerequisite for making sustainable investment on our continent a “winning bet”.
Local action: accelerating the transition at the heart of the territories
The operational implementation of this approach was illustrated during the round table bringing together Déborah Cherruault (Caisse d’Epargne Aquitaine Poitou-Charentes) and Frédérique Deveze (Banque Populaire Val de France). They demonstrated how, on the ground, the group’s regional banks act as true partners in the transition of economic players.
Financing remains the main lever, whose power is multiplied by cooperation, in particular with the European Investment Bank (EIB). But the action goes far beyond that. The teams deploy tailor-made support with non-financial support – strategy consulting, employee awareness, impact diagnosis – is crucial to equip each company, from SMEs to large groups, with the tools necessary for its transformation.
From global strategic vision to local and personalized action, including the driving role of finance, Groupe BPCE mobilizes all of its expertise and the strength of its regional cooperative model. The message is clear: in the face of the magnitude of the challenges, it is by acting together, in a pragmatic and determined manner, that we will be able to co-construct the solutions of tomorrow and build a transition that is a promise for the future for all.