Passing on shares, passing on a visionA meeting point between human connection and finance.

"Alterfin takes a long-term view of impact."

Talking about legacy.

It might seem strange to think about what we'll leave behind once we're no longer here. And yet everyone leaves a trace. We live on through the ties we've built — with family, with friends, and sometimes well beyond. That, to me, is where the question of legacy really lives.

Alterfin builds ties between people too, on a larger scale and in a professional way. As a cooperative, we're connected to everyone we finance. That might sound a little abstract, but this meeting point between human connection and finance is, in itself, something unique.

I've had the privilege of playing a part in that as a founder — a role I find hard to leave behind, even now that I'm retired. I remain involved with Alterfin: as a cooperative member, as an occasional advisor, and as a director of the Alterfin Guarantee Fund — now renamed the Alterfin Impact+ Program.

A new name that reflects far better everything the fund does. You can read here how this program lets us deepen our impact.

Alterfin takes this same long-term view of impact.

When a partner goes through a difficult period, we don't pull out right away, the way other investors often do. Every enterprise has its ups and downs. We stay loyal, and we stand by our partners through the harder moments. Building a strong, resilient enterprise doesn't happen overnight — but that kind of long-term thinking is, unfortunately, rare in the financial world.

"What drove us back in the 1990s still holds true today."

Everyone involved with Alterfin plays a part. The longer you hold your shares, the more you carry that long-term outlook forward.

And gifting or bequeathing shares to the next generation? That's one of the most meaningful ways to contribute. It passes on an essential message to your children, grandchildren, or other young people around you: think carefully about what you do with your money. Use it and invest it consciously, in line with your values and what matters to you.

Because what drove us back in the 1990s still holds true today: conventional financial markets won't lift the world out of inequality and poverty.