How can Europe strengthen corporate governance, capital markets and shareholder rights at a time of geopolitical and economic transition?

That is the question that BETTER FINANCE and its German member organisation, DSW, will explore at their upcoming conference:

Funding Europe’s Sovereignty:

Governance, Markets and Power in Transition

Date: 24 November 2026 | Time: 08:45 – 18:00 | Location: Kurhaus Wiesbaden

Discussions will cover:

• ✅ how capital markets can help finance Europe’s strategic capabilities and support corporate resilience;
• ✅ how companies and boards are leading through periods of economic and geopolitical pressure;
• ✅ how EU competitiveness policy is reshaping the regulatory agenda from Brussels;
• ✅ how shareholder activism functions as a threat, a catalyst or a governance tool in Europe; and
• ✅ how executive compensation is evolving as a governance tool in a period of transition.
• **

• Programme

• 15:00 – 15:30 | Keynote Speech

• Dan Dionisie, Head of Company Law, European Commission, DG Just
  

  ---

• 15:15 – 16:15 | Panel Discussion | Shareholder Activism in Europe: Threat or Catalyst

• David Kovel, Kirby McInerney LLP
• Till Hufnagel, Sput Value Partners
• Aleksandra Mączyńska, BETTER FINANCE
• Moderator: Andreas Posavac, Embera Partners
  

  ---

• 4:15 – 4:30 | Coffee Break

  ---

• 4:30 – 17:45 | Panel Discussion | Pay, Power & Performance: Executive Compensation as a Governance Tool in Transition

• Katryna Krueger, ISS STOXX
• Ingo Speich, DEKA
• Christiane Hölz, DSW
• Moderator: Christof Schwab, Computershare
  

  ---

• 17:45 – 18:00 | Closing Remarks

• Aleksandra Mączyńska, BETTER FINANCE
  

  ---

• 18:00 – 19:00 | Reception

• **

Register Here