In a Nutshell

A selection of global news on steward ownership! Informed by everybody from Purpose and the steward ownership ecosystem to bring you up to speed across different categories.

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Newsletter

SO Monthly Brief: September 2026

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SO Monthly Brief:
September 2026

A selection of global news on steward ownership

Informed by everybody from PURPOSE and the SO ecosystem to bring you up to speed across different categories.

Editor of this edition: Lotta, Purpose Foundation

Hello ! 👋

At the Purpose Foundation, we are reviving our newsletter through this new format: A monthly brief on steward ownership (SO) that brings you up to speed across different categories. Browse through it over your coffee, get informed on the biggest updates or jump to what is most useful to you – and feel free to share the big and small news and developments we missed with us.

Let me share two personal highlights of the month with you, before you dive right in:

1. Our team day in Berlin: We sat together at the river and, as a team, felt the spark and potential of an SO monthly brief. So we directly started collecting news across the ecosystem and are excited to share it with you now.

2. Stuart, the SO AI Assistant: He's waiting for you on steward-ownership.com, the knowledge hub for everything on steward ownership. Based only on trusted sources and hosted in the EU, for me it's an example how AI can be a helpful contribution for steward ownership.

Now, enjoy the read and find out something new about steward ownership.

Warmly,

Lotta

SO topics of this monthly brief:

1. Events in October
2. Companies

3. Aligned Financing
4. Around the World

5. Research
6. Policy & Legal

1. SO Events in October

8 Oct, Amsterdam

Steward Ownership Festival Amsterdam

We Are Stewards is inviting the international steward ownership ecosystem to Amsterdam. More info

27 Oct, Amsterdam

Amsterdam Training Day

We are hosting a Financing Steward Ownership Session at the Training Day organised by IFI. More info

28 Oct, Munich

beyond economy Festival

Purpose is speaking about steward ownership at the beyond economy Festival. More info

2. Companies & SO

Learnings around companies, entrepreneurial perspectives and transitions into steward ownership

Boekenbalie, the largest online 2nd-hand bookseller in the Netherlands (~1 million books/year), is choosing steward ownership.

Laurie Lane-Zucker, founder of Impact Entrepreneur, explains in his article why a lasting mission depends on a company’s design and ownership, and why regulations, certifications or contracts alone won’t secure it.

In our new blog post, we look at Tata Sons through the steward ownership lens: Is a public listing the best way to increase accountability and public scrutiny of a system-relevant company?

3. SO Aligned Financing

Knowledge around aligned capital, developments in investment and approaches towards steward ownership aligned financing

If you missed it: SO Capital launched in August, a new financing vehicle fully dedicated to steward ownership.

€21+ million: first funding goal hit for the European Catalytic Impact Investing Fund II (ECIIF II). It invests for long-term value, including in steward-owned and non-exit-oriented companies, backed by institutional investors, foundations, business angels and private wealth holders.

A signal from mainstream finance: Callan, one of the largest independent US investment consultants, has published a blog post on steward ownership. It highlights the model’s mission focus and long-term protection, and asks what investors would do differently if the mission were permanently secured.

4. SO Around the World

Steward ownership around the globe, regional updates and more

We’re currently piloting our steward ownership masterclass for anyone who wants to dive deeper. It’s wonderful to learn alongside people from over 15 countries in this first cohort. Their feedback will shape a new class, open to everyone and free of charge, in early 2027.

Purpose Latam is now live on Instagram and shares voices and stories from steward ownership in Latin America.

Türkiye now has a Veto Share Foundation, giving companies a new way to put steward ownership into practice.

5. SO in Research & Academia

The latest published articles, news on research groups and new insights

The Steward Ownership Network (StONe) officially launches on 8 October: 200+ researchers and practitioners from 26+ countries to build a multidisciplinary, comparative understanding of steward ownership. Interested in joining? There is still time. Register via the link above.

The “Future of Ownership”, a joint research project of the Humboldt University Berlin and LMU Munich, is studying the economic, ecological and social effects of steward ownership. The project started in June this year and will run until May 2028.

Two new very interesting papers by political philosopher Rutger Claassen (Utrecht University): “The corporation — a return to origins?” and “Social Ownership Democracy”.

Steward ownership has already been discussed at EU level around succession and long-term companies, including EU Inc. Now the European Commission adds a new angle: impact-driven businesses. Read more in their new publication.

6. SO in Policy & Legal

How policy and law are catching up with steward ownership

“EU Inc. SO”: Around 8 October, the EU Parliament’s JURI committee votes on 1,400+ amendments to EU Inc., including Rapporteur René Repasi’s proposal to add a steward ownership option, which the Commission’s draft lacks. After initial closed-door talks, steward ownership is reportedly still on the table.

Germany: The legislative process for a legal form for steward ownership is in full swing. The ministries for Justice and Finance are working on a first draft bill for this “Gesellschaft mit gebundenem Vermögen”, expected before the end of the year.

Netherlands: Here, too, the government has pledged in its coalition agreement to introduce a legal form for steward ownership. On 23 September, parliament passed a motion urging it to also push for steward ownership at EU level, including in EU Inc.

Thanks for being part of this SO monthly brief!

I would like to share one last thought before you go: With so much happening around steward ownership, we've noticed in our team how grounding it is to return to the core ideas behind (steward) ownership from time to time. It makes it easier to zoom in on specific topics without losing sight of the bigger picture.

That's why I'd love to show you one of my favorite resources for this: Armin Steuernagel's keynote from the SO:25 conference "What is ownership? What is steward ownership?" (available as text and video). Happy watching or reading!

See you in November for the next monthly brief,

Lotta & the whole team 👋

This brief comes from the Purpose Foundation, but is only possible through the knowledge and input of many: our shared work on steward ownership across PURPOSE and our collaborations across the ecosystem with all of you. We hope it's useful to everyone moving steward ownership forward.

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