Fiare Banca Etica

What Fiare Banca Etica does

Fiare Banca Etica is the Spanish branch (Sucursal en España) of Banca Popolare Etica scpa, an Italian cooperative bank headquartered in Padua and founded in 1999. The bank operates as an ethical cooperative with headquarters in Bilbao at C/ Simón Bolívar 8B, serving 110,149+ customers and governed by 47,425+ member-owners under a 'one person, one vote' democratic model. Its core differentiator is a proprietary socio-environmental evaluation methodology applied to every credit request before approval, paired with full public disclosure of all granted credits via the 'Con mi dinero' platform — a transparency regime with no direct equivalent in conventional banking.

The product portfolio spans retail and business banking: online and mobile banking (iOS/Android), checking accounts (Cuenta Ética Socio), fixed-term deposits (Depósito Transformación Social), ethical investment funds (Fondos Éticos), short/medium/long-term credit facilities, business Visa cards, crowdfunding, cooperative housing financing, and dedicated services for public administrations. Technology infrastructure is a standard online banking platform with a self-hosted Matomo analytics deployment for privacy compliance; the bank holds ISO 30415:2021 (Diversity and Inclusion) and ISO 53800:2024 (Gender Equality) certifications.

The bank generates revenue through interest spreads on credit operations (€407M disbursed to impact-positive projects in 2022), account and payment fees, and distribution fees from ethical investment funds. Distribution is primarily direct via the Bilbao branch, digital channels (web and mobile), and a toll-free fraud/support line, supplemented by a community-led go-to-market anchored on cooperative membership, member referrals, territorial groups (GITs), and events. Strategic alliances include Caixa d'Enginyers, Elkargi, Sostre Cívic, GABV, FEBEA, and the European Microfinance Network, with capital raised through an ongoing public share offering (Oferta Pública de Acciones) rather than external equity rounds.

Name

Fiare Banca Etica

Legal name

Banca Popolare Etica Società cooperativa per azioni (scpa)

Website

https://www.fiarebancaetica.coop/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fiare Banca Etica is the Spanish branch of Italy's Banca Popolare Etica, a cooperative ethical bank serving 110,000+ individuals, cooperatives, NGOs, and social enterprises with full-range retail and business banking anchored by socio-environmental credit evaluation and full public credit transparency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ethical and Cooperative Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (52211), Credit Unions (52213)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021), State Commercial Banks (6022)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs) (FSABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Green/Ethical/Sustainable Neobanks (FSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Ethical banking services
• Cooperative banking
• Retail banking
• Impact financing
• Social economy lending

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilbao

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ethical Investment Funds: Distribution of ethical investment funds (Fondos Éticos) that invest only in screened, impact-positive projects.
2. Retail Banking Services: Current accounts, savings accounts, deposits, and payment services for individuals. Revenue generated through interest spreads, account fees, and payment transaction fees.
3. Business and Organizational Banking: Financing, current accounts, cards, fixed deposits, ethical investment funds, and crowdfunding services for enterprises, organizations, cooperatives, and public administrations.
4. Credit Operations: Short-term, medium-term, and long-term credit granted to projects with positive social and environmental impact. Revenue from interest on loans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Fiare Banca Etica is a cooperative ethical bank operating as the Spanish branch of Banca Popolare Etica, offering retail banking accounts, fixed-term deposits, ethical investment funds, payment cards, and credit/financing to individuals, enterprises, cooperatives, NGOs, and public administrations. Every credit and financing decision is evaluated through a proprietary socio-environmental process, and the bank publicly discloses all approved credits so savers can see which projects their deposits finance.

Product overview

Fiare Banca Etica is a cooperative and independent ethical bank operating in Spain as a branch of Banca Popolare Etica (Italy). The bank offers a comprehensive suite of financial products and services organized into three main segments: individuals (particulares), enterprises and organizations (empresas y organizaciones), and public administrations. Core offerings include online banking (Banca Online), checking accounts (Cuenta Ética Socio), ethical investment funds (Fondos Éticos), and various loan and financing products. The bank differentiates itself through its commitment to ethical finance, evaluating all financing requests based on social, environmental, and economic criteria, and maintaining full transparency about which projects are funded. The product portfolio also includes mobile banking (App), fixed deposits (Depósito Transformación Social), business cards (Tarjeta Business Visa), crowdfunding services, housing financing, and partnership programs (Convenios). The bank publishes annual Impact Reports and provides transparency tools like 'Con mi dinero' to show customers the social and environmental impact of their deposits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 110,149 customers served across Spain and Italy
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Foodcoop BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Participatory cooperative supermarket in Barcelona. Fiare Banca Etica member-owners visited Foodcoop to strengthen ties between ethical finance and food sovereignty movements. Both organizations share the conviction that the economy must serve people and the planet.
• Sostre CíviccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cooperative housing organization promoting the model of cooperative housing with use assignment (cesión de uso). Fiare Banca Etica has financed multiple Sostre Cívic projects including La Balma, Cirerers, and Cal Carner, and the Walden XXI senior housing project. Deep collaboration in promoting non-speculative, sustainable housing solutions.
• ElkargiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance to promote financing with values for enterprises and organizations in the Basque Country and beyond. Joint efforts to channel ethical credit toward impact-driven businesses.
• GABV – Global Alliance for Banking on ValuescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiare Banca Etica / Banca Etica Group is a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, a network of the world's leading values-based banks. The GABV includes 67+ banks committed to sustainable, ethical finance and serves as a platform for sharing best practices and collective advocacy.
• FEBEA – European Federation of Ethical and Alternative BankscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiare Banca Etica / Banca Etica Group is a member of FEBEA, the European Federation of Ethical and Alternative Banks. FEBEA promotes ethical banking standards and representation at the EU level.
• European Microfinance Network (EMN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFiare Banca Etica is affiliated with the European Microfinance Network, contributing to and benefiting from the microfinance ecosystem across Europe.
• The Microfinance CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliation with The Microfinance Centre, supporting inclusive finance initiatives and knowledge-sharing in the microfinance sector.
• Fundación Finanzas ÉticasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation promoting ethical finance education, research, and outreach. Part of the Banca Etica Group ecosystem.
• CreSudminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting ethical and solidarity-based finance, part of the Banca Etica Group network.
• Etica SGRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian SGR (asset management company) specializing in ethical and impact investments. Part of the Banca Etica Group.
• IMPact SGRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian SGR focused on impact investments. Part of the Banca Etica Group ecosystem.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Triodos Bank: Leading European values-based bank offering savings, lending, and investment products screened against ethical and sustainability criteria; the most direct comparable to Fiare/Banca Etica in mission, transparency disclosures, and product mix.
• GLS Bank: Germany's leading ethical and cooperative bank offering transparent banking, socio-environmental screening of financed projects, and member-owned governance — closely aligned with Fiare's cooperative and impact-lending model.
• Alternative Bank Schweiz (ABS): Swiss cooperative ethical bank offering savings, mortgages, and lending with strict social and ecological screening of financed projects; comparable member-owned structure and values-driven lending book.
• Crédit Coopératif: French cooperative bank dedicated to the social and solidarity economy, financing cooperatives, NGOs, and ethical enterprises — a near-perfect peer on cooperative ownership and social-economy focus, though serving France rather than Iberia.
• Cultura Bank: Norwegian ethical cooperative bank offering transparent banking and impact lending to sustainable projects; comparable member-owned cooperative model and socio-environmental screening of loans.
• Banca Popolare Etica: Italian parent cooperative bank of which Fiare is the Spanish branch — identical products, governance, and screening methodology, and a direct sister entity for benchmarking portfolio and growth metrics.
• La Nef: French cooperative ethical bank offering savings accounts and loans exclusively for social, environmental, and cultural projects; comparable niche positioning and cooperative governance.

Regional players

• Caixa d'Enginyers: Spanish cooperative credit institution serving engineers and the social economy, co-financing projects like Walden XXI with Fiare; a regional Spanish cooperative peer with overlapping values-aligned customer base.

Broad incumbents

• CaixaBank: Largest Spanish retail and commercial bank, increasingly active in sustainable finance and ESG funds; a broad incumbent whose ESG product expansion most directly threatens Fiare's differentiation in Spain.
• Kutxabank: Basque Country-rooted Spanish bank with strong regional cooperative heritage and growing ESG offerings; a broad incumbent peer serving overlapping Northern Spain customers and social-economy segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FiareBE
• Facebookfacebook.com/bancaetica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fiare Banca Etica