For three days, the Magdalena Peninsula once again became a meeting place for those who believe that a different way of doing economics is not only possible, but necessary. The “5th Path Toward an Impact Economy Gathering”, held within the incomparable setting of UIMP’s summer courses, brought together people from very different fields—business, finance, public administration, academia, the social economy, the third sector, and entrepreneurship—united by a shared conviction: building a fairer economy for people and the planet.
Beyond an intense and diverse program, the gathering once again demonstrated something that has been part of its essence since its first edition: impact is built in community, when people who speak different languages find spaces to listen to one another, understand each other and discover common goals. It is built when new connections emerge between organizations, territories, and generations. And it is also built when there is a place to pause, talk, and think together.
The different sessions traced a coherent narrative running through all three days. From the role of companies in generating impact to purpose-aligned financing, governance, social innovation, health, rural housing, education, culture and territorial development. Each conversation added a piece to a broader vision: the need to drive systemic transformations capable of generating economic, social and environmental value simultaneously.
An Impact Economy to Build Bridges Between Sectors and Languages
One of the most enriching aspects of the gathering was the diversity of profiles present. Far from becoming a space for dialogue among people who all think alike, this gathering once again brought together actors working from very different realities, but who share a common will to contribute to more inclusive and sustainable solutions.
Throughout the sessions, conversations emerged around how to govern impact, how to finance it, how to measure it, and how to integrate it into business models and public policy. There was discussion of housing, rural rootedness, migration, health, social innovation, the social economy, and new models of collaboration. A recurring idea ran through all of them: today’s major challenges know no rigid boundaries and demand ever-broader alliances.
At SpainNAB, we are especially proud to have once again co-organized this initiative. Cantabria has also been, since last year, one of our Impact Hubs in northern Spain, a commitment to strengthening connections among ecosystem players and creating permanent spaces for collaboration at the territorial level.
In this edition, we took a more active role in designing some of the sessions and helped bring in new voices from our ecosystem and member organizations. These included Asociación Arrabal, Carlos Ballesteros, Fundación Caja Navarra, Nanoma, Open Value Foundation (OVF), Transcendent, Unlimited Spain, and UpSocial, alongside key allies for the development of the impact economy such as COFIDES, ENISA, and the Commissioner for the Social Economy.
The richness of these additions translated into more diverse conversations, with complementary approaches and experiences from different corners of the country. A sign that the ecosystem continues to grow, mature, and find new meeting points between the business, investment, social, and public spheres.
Territory as a Space for Meeting, Learning, and Community
If there was another clear protagonist of the gathering, it was the territory itself. Many of the conversations centered on the ability to generate opportunities from local places, strengthen communities, attract talent, facilitate access to housing, or build more resilient and rooted economies.
In this sense, the context in which the gathering takes place proved especially meaningful. The Menéndez Pelayo International University offers far more than a physical venue: it brings a tradition of thought, debate and intellectual openness that fits naturally with the challenges posed by the impact economy. Being part of UIMP’s summer program places these conversations within a broader reflection on the future of our societies.
And few settings could be more fitting than the Magdalena Peninsula. In the middle of gardens, sea, and historic heritage, the surroundings invite a blend of knowledge, conversation, and relationship-building. Because much of the value of gatherings like this one is also born in the hallways, during coffee breaks, or in informal conversations that connect projects and people who might never have crossed paths in another context.
That relational dimension found one of its finest expressions at the gathering held at BNS and promoted by SpainNAB. As is the case at all our impact hubs, the goal was simple yet deeply valuable: to create a space to talk, get to know one another and enjoy time together. This year, Cuban music performed by Yaima Orozco and Migue de la Rosa accompanied an evening marked by new connections, spontaneous conversations, and one of those Santander sunsets that help explain why the setting itself is also part of the experience.
Perhaps one of the best pieces of news from this edition was precisely the arrival of so many new faces. Regular participants know that Yunus Cantabria has built a solid community that returns year after year because it finds here something more than content: it finds trust, lasting relationships, and a sense of belonging. But in 2026, that community grew notably, welcoming new organizations, new professional backgrounds and new perspectives that enrich the movement.
The closing session, featuring an online address by Professor Muhammad Yunus and his call to keep working toward a “world of three zeros” (zero poverty, zero unemployment and zero net carbon emissions), served as a reminder that the transformation we seek is necessarily collective.
We leave Santander with new ideas, new alliances, and new projects to explore. But above all, with the sense that the impact economy continues to establish itself as a shared space capable of bringing together very different people and institutions around a common purpose. Because impact is not built by any one organization alone, it is built by all of us together, weaving relationships, strengthening territories, and creating places to keep talking, learning and moving forward together.
