Citizen debate on trust in the digital banking world: “First time a bank opts for citizen participation”

“As a 100% Belgian bank-insurer, we strongly believe in the power of digital innovation, provided it starts from what people truly care about,” says Olivier Onclin, Vice President of Belfius. “Technology offers enormous opportunities to make banking simpler, safer and more accessible. With the Bankforum, we give citizens a voice in this evolution and integrate their insights directly into our Strategic Plan 2030. In this way, we are building together a digital bank that is not only forward-looking, but also human, trustworthy and deeply rooted in Belgian society.”

What used to be handled at the counter is now done with just a few clicks on a screen. Digital innovation has become indispensable in the banking world and offers great convenience and opportunities. At the same time, it raises questions about trust, security and human contact. That is precisely why G1000, the Belgian platform for democratic innovation, is organising the Bankforum: a broad citizen dialogue that clearly identifies the key challenges around this theme and translates them into concrete recommendations.

The citizen debate takes place at the request of Belfius, which wants to better understand how the general public experiences this digital evolution. The recommendations of the Bankforum will be carefully analysed and will form the basis for a concrete action plan. In the coming months, the insights from the Bankforum will not only be made public, but also actively shared with other players in the banking sector.

Transparency, integrity and inclusion

“For this project, as with all our previous initiatives with governments and societal actors, we follow the core principles of transparency, integrity and inclusion as recommended by the OECD,” says Ben Eersels, Director of G1000. To provide citizens with sufficient background knowledge on the topic, they receive input from independent experts from the banking sector and other societal actors. In addition, an external steering committee guarantees the integrity and transparency of the citizen panel. “The Bankforum is an innovative initiative in several respects: it was initiated by a bank and at the same time creates space for broad citizen participation,” says Eloise Gabadou, Programme Manager at the AI and Democracy Foundation. “As a member of the steering committee and as a safeguard for the integrity of the process, I see this trajectory as a valuable opportunity to assess the quality and independence of a deliberation conducted outside the usual institutional frameworks.”

Everyone can take part in the debate

The citizen panel consists of 75 randomly selected citizens who reflect the diversity of the population. In this way, a wide range of experiences and backgrounds are represented in the discussion, and the dialogue is not limited to banking experts alone. Over three weekends, taking place between 28 February and 26 April, citizens will deliberate on the central question: How can a bank innovate digitally while remaining safe and human? From today onwards, everyone can participate in the debate via the online platform www.bankforum.be. All contributions will feed into the discussions of the citizen panel, ensuring that the process takes into account the views of society as a whole. “This is the first time a bank has given citizens a voice through a citizen panel on a societal issue,” says Ben Eersels. “Citizens are given a say in how the digital transition, which concerns us all, is addressed. It is a powerful signal: citizen participation is gradually claiming its place in all areas of society.”

More information: bankforum.be (in Dutch) or forumdelabanque.be (in French).