AI, Sustainable Finance, and European Sovereignty: What Levers for Financial Stakeholders?

Thursday, April 16, 2026, the Institut Louis Bachelier invites you to a morning of discussions dedicated to a now central question: how can technological innovation, European sovereignty, sustainable finance, and environmental responsibility be reconciled?

Organized by QANT, Cercle Europe IA et Finance, the Institut Louis Bachelier, and the PARC Foundation, this event will bring together representatives from public institutions, academia, finance, investment, and business to discuss the major challenges related to the development of artificial intelligence in Europe.

At a time when AI is profoundly transforming business models, organizations, and uses, its rise is raising crucial questions for the future of the continent: technological leadership, data sovereignty, the direction of investment flows, environmental impact, inclusion, ethics, and responsibility. The aim of this morning session is to bring together different areas of expertise and open a dialogue on the conditions for artificial intelligence that serves a sustainable, autonomous, and responsible economy.

The event will be moderated by Jean Rognetta, journalist and founder of QANT.

The morning will open with an introductory session dedicated to benchmarking the position of the world’s major regions in sustainable AI. This first discussion will bring together Arnaud de Bresson, Chief Executive Officer of Cercle Europe IA & Finance, Bertrand Badré, President of the PARC Foundation / Institut Louis Bachelier, and Anne Le Hénanff, Minister Delegate for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs.

The second session will focus on one of today’s major challenges: developing frugal AI, capable of limiting its environmental impact while addressing social and economic issues. The discussion will also examine the conditions for financing a European AI that supports a sustainable and autonomous economy. Speakers in this session will include Christine Balagué, Professor at Institut Mines-Télécom and holder of the Good in Tech Chair, Olivier Darmouni, Professor at HEC, Matthieu Delescluse, Head of the EU AI Office at the European Commission, Viviane Leflaive, Head of Financial Services at KPMG, Mathieu Wellhoff, Head of the Digital and Responsible Services Department at ADEME, and Aldrick Zappellini, Chief Data Officer at Crédit Agricole.

Finally, the third part of the morning will focus on the use of AI to advance sustainable finance. Progress in artificial intelligence and machine learning now makes it possible to improve the collection and analysis of companies’ ESG data, thereby contributing to better-informed financial decisions and greater European data sovereignty. This session will also highlight emerging solutions aimed at fostering inclusion and better integrating ethics and responsibility into AI training and skills development processes within financial institutions. It will bring together Guillaume Abel, Deputy CEO of Mirova, Anaïs Blarel, Sustainability Director at Revaia, Marie Brière, Head of Investor Intelligence & Academic Partnerships at Amundi and Managing Director of the Institut Louis Bachelier, Antoine Rostand, President and Founder of Kayrros, Peter Tankov, Professor at the Institut Louis Bachelier, as well as a representative from BNP Paribas.

Through this morning event, the objective will be to gain a better understanding of how artificial intelligence can become not only a driver of innovation, but also a lever for a more sustainable, autonomous, and responsible economy.

Programme

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.: Introduction
Towards a benchmark of the positioning of the world’s major regions in sustainable AI

9:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: The challenge
Developing frugal AI, limiting its environmental impact, and directing investment towards a sustainable and autonomous European AI

9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Using AI to develop sustainable finance
ESG, data sovereignty, inclusion, ethics, and skills development

Practical information

Date: Thursday, April 16, 2026
Moderator: Jean Rognetta, journalist and founder of QANT
Organizers: QANT, Cercle Europe IA et Finance, Institut Louis Bachelier, PARC Foundation
Registration: https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/ia-economie-durable-quels-leviers-pour-les-acteurs-financiers-tickets-1985360477633?aff=oddtdtcreator&_gl=1*1k3r7wo*_up*MQ..*_ga*MjExOTk5ODY2NC4xNzczNzQxODk4*_ga_TQVES5V6SH*czE3NzM3NDE4OTgkbzEkZzAkdDE3NzM3NDE4OTgkajYwJGwwJGgw

‍