Amics del País

What Amics del País does

Amics del País (full legal name: Societat Econòmica Barcelonesa d'Amics del País, SEBAP) is a Barcelona-based non-profit civic association founded in 1822 under the Royal Charter of Charles III, making it one of the oldest civil society organizations in Catalonia. Registered with the Generalitat de Catalunya (Register of Associations number 21390) and declared of public interest, it operates as a platform for debate and dialogue on the economic, social, cultural, and scientific challenges facing the country and city, serving Catalan civil society, including members, researchers, students, and the broader public. Its activities span over 200 years of continuous operation, including historical roles such as crisis coordination during the 1918 flu epidemic, and it maintains a documentary archive from inception through the 1970s, partially held by the Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya.

The organization's core "products" are programmatic rather than commercial: Barcelona Tribuna, a periodic opinion and debate forum with prominent public figures; Cercle Financer, a monthly financial conference cycle hosted at La Caixa's headquarters auditorium; and Cercle per al Coneixement, a commission focused on the application of ICT to productive sectors, integrated into SEBAP in April 2012. It also administers prizes and scholarships exceeding 80,000 euros annually (Beques Dr. Joan Guinovart, Premi Llegat Valldejuli, Premi Alexandre Pedrós). The underlying technology stack is modest and operational: a WordPress CMS with WooCommerce, WPML for bilingual (Català/Castellano) content, Google Analytics, and MailChimp for newsletter distribution. There is no proprietary technology, no mobile app, and no AI capability.

The business model is membership-based: individuals join as "socis" by paying undisclosed fees, with the association also deriving ancillary value from newsletter distribution and institutional partnerships. There are no disclosed pricing tiers, no enterprise customers, no funding rounds, and no evidence of external investment, venture capital, or equity ownership. Strategic partners are limited and recurring: La Caixa and Fundació La Caixa provide prestigious venue access, and the Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya custodians part of the historical archive. The organization is governed by its membership and led by senior Catalan institutional figures across its commissions, including Isidre Fainé (Cercle Financer), Jaume Giró (Barcelona Tribuna), and Josep Maria Vilà (Cercle per al Coneixement).

Name

Amics del País

Legal name

Societat Econòmica Barcelonesa d'Amics del País

Website

https://amicsdelpais.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1822

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Amics del País (Societat Econòmica Barcelonesa d'Amics del País) is a Barcelona-based civic association founded in 1822 that serves Catalan civil society through debate forums, conferences, and academic prizes and scholarships exceeding 80,000 euros annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Association and Civil Society Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAHACAA

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

SECONDARYBPADANAB

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

Keywords

• Civic association
• Debate forums
• Awards and scholarships
• Research excellence
• Knowledge conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Amics del País operates as a civil society association with membership-based support. Members (socios) pay fees to belong to the entity which has been declared of public interest and has operated at the service of the country's progress since 1822.
2. Newsletter distribution services: The organization sends newsletters via MailChimp, with data ceded to the platform for sending informative bulletins to members and subscribers.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Amics del País (Societat Econòmica Barcelonesa d'Amics del País) is a 200-year-old Catalan civic association that operates debate forums (Barcelona Tribuna), monthly financial conferences (Cercle Financer), and a knowledge-economy commission (Cercle per al Coneixement). It also administers annual awards and scholarships exceeding 80,000 euros, maintains a historical archive, and publishes research and activity summaries for its members and the broader Catalan civil society.

Product overview

Amics del País (Societat Econòmica Barcelonesa d'Amics del País) is a civic service organization founded in 1822 that operates as a platform for debate and dialogue on Catalonia's economic and social progress. Its core offerings include Barcelona Tribuna (an international opinion and debate forum), the Cercle Financer (financial conference series), and the Cercle per al Coneixement (knowledge circle focused on ICT). The organization also manages awards and scholarships exceeding 80,000 euros annually, maintains a historical archive dating to 1822, and publishes research through its various commissions covering economy, education, sport, culture, research, health, and technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barcelona Tribuna: A plural and international opinion and debate forum that meets periodically during lunch-conference-colloquium sessions with prominent personalities from the economic, social, cultural, and scientific world.
• Cercle per al Coneixement
• Cercle Financer

Products and services

• Barcelona Tribuna

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80,000 euros in prizes and scholarships awarded annually to promote research excellence and equal opportunities

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• La Caixa (CriteriaCaixa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Caixa, through its corporate foundation, partners with Amics del País for the Cercle Financer conference series. La Caixa provides its central headquarters auditorium in Barcelona (Avinguda Diagonal, 621-629) for monthly financial conferences. This collaboration has been ongoing, with La Caixa serving as the venue host for one of the organization's most active commissions.
• Fundació La CaixacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fundació La Caixa's Palau Macaya in Barcelona serves as a venue for Barcelona Tribuna events, including the 'Europa, ara què?' cycle featuring Jaume Duch. This partnership enables high-profile events in prestigious locations.
• Arxiu Nacional de CatalunyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmics del País has transferred part of its historical documentary collection to the Arxiu Nacional de Catalunya (National Archive of Catalonia). The archive contains documentation from the entity's inception until the 1970s and is accessible through the archive's online search system.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Ateneu Barcelonès: Historic Barcelona civic and cultural association founded in 1860. Directly comparable as a long-running Catalan civic society hosting debates, lectures, and intellectual discourse for members, operating from a Barcelona landmark building.
• Institut d'Estudis Catalans: Catalan academic and cultural institution of reference. Comparable as a longstanding Catalan institutional body engaged in research, knowledge promotion, and scholarly recognition programs, serving as a convener of intellectual activity in Catalonia.
• Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB): Barcelona cultural institution hosting debates, lectures, and conferences on contemporary issues. Comparable as a Barcelona-based civic platform running recurring intellectual programming and serving as a convening venue for thought leaders.
• Fundació Catalunya Europa: Catalan think tank focused on European affairs and Catalonia's role in Europe. Comparable as a Barcelona-based nonprofit forum convening debate on European integration, regional policy, and Catalonia's international positioning.
• Reial Cercle Artític de Barcelona: Historic Barcelona civic and cultural society founded in 1881. Comparable as a longstanding Barcelona membership-based cultural and intellectual institution running cultural programming, exhibitions, and intellectual gatherings.
• Cercle d'Economia de Barcelona: Barcelona-based economic forum convening business leaders, academics, and policymakers. Comparable as a membership-driven Barcelona civic forum running annual conferences and recurring economic debates, addressing Catalan and Spanish policy issues.

Emerging players

• Fundació Rafael Campalans: Catalan foundation linked to economic thought and progressive policy. Comparable as a Catalonia-based foundation running conferences, publications, and policy forums on Catalan economic and social issues.
• Fundació Josep Irla: Catalan foundation focused on civic awareness and public debate. Comparable as a smaller Catalan nonprofit organizing debates, publications, and civic education activities around Catalan society and politics.

Broad incumbents

• Real Academia de Ciencias Económicas y Financieras: Spain-wide academic institution awarding prizes and convening economic discourse. Comparable as a longstanding institution combining scholarly recognition programs with economic debate forums, though operating at a national rather than regional scale.

Others

• Asociación de Economía y Competitividad (Spain): Spanish national professional economic association. Comparable as a membership-based professional association convening economists and policy debate, though operating at a national academic rather than civic level.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/amicspais
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCyPdkEw020ctybVrfca5REQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amicsdelpais

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Amics del País