Interest in sustainable entrepreneurship is growing rapidly. Entrepreneurs are looking for ways to combine financial health with social impact and long-term continuity. While companies such as Patagonia can safeguard their mission through the American Public Benefit Corporation, a comparable legal form is lacking in the Netherlands. As a result, entrepreneurs must protect their mission through articles of association and governance structures, which often leads to tensions. Increasingly, companies are therefore opting for steward ownership, a model that places mission-driven control and sustainable value creation at its core.

An increasing number of companies offer deferred payment options, such as “pay later.” Under the new EU Consumer Credit Directive (EU 2023/2225), these models may be classified as regulated financial services starting 20 November 2026. As a result, businesses may become subject to licensing requirements, oversight by the AFM, and additional obligations such as age verification, creditworthiness assessments, and linking to the credit registry (BKR). Failure to comply can lead to risks such as fines, penalty payments, and reputational damage. It is therefore important to assess payment processes now and make adjustments where necessary.

Supplementary law in international agreements can affect existing liability rules. Find out more in our article.

Dutch regulators warn that banks are too dependent on non-EU technology providers. At the same time, the potential U.S. acquisition of Solvinity — the company that manages critical government data such as DigiD — raises concerns about data security and digital sovereignty. Financial institutions must take these strategic and technological risks seriously and implement appropriate measures