Photo story: Expat Financial Affairs 2019 in Brussels

October 16th – We attended the new edition of Expat Financial Affairs, a unique event which offers essential advice in English about managing your finances in Belgium. Today this event attracts more than 400 people – both newcomers and established expats who get a chance to follow very informative presentations on a variety of topics: investments, pensions, estate planning, financing Belgian residence or starting a new business and becoming a successful entrepreneur. The event is also a wonderful opportunity to network with other participants, meet other expats and discuss directly with financial experts during the reception.

Salvatore Orlando, Head of Expatriates at BNP Paribas Fortis welcomed the participants and stressed the importance of this event for the international community in Brussels and Belgium. “Coming to a new country is always a difficult step. The advantage of Brussels is that it is a very international city which gives people a lot of opportunities. However, sometimes it is hard to navigate the practical legal and financial framework in a new country. This is why BNP Paribas Fortis in Belgium gives a special attention to expats and wants them to feel at home right away. It is important to offer advice to all those who want to manage their finances, invest in Belgium, buy a new property or simply start a new business. Expat Financial Affairs is therefore an important annual event that gives people a chance to meet with experts and get the best advice.”

Participants had a chance to follow sessions on following topics:
– Investment taxation for expats living in Belgium
– How to become a successful innovative start-up/scale-up in Belgium?
– Expatriates and their immovable property in Belgium
– Trends and taxes in the Belgian housing market: an overview from an investment perspective.
– How to finance your future Belgian residence
– Expat estate planning: the importance of the marital status and the impact of the EU succession regulation

The event was organised by the British Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and for the first time it was done in the partnership with the American, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and French Chambers in Belgium who spread it through their communities and networks, thus reflecting the growing importance of this event. It’s also worth nothing that the event takes place in the heart of Brussels at BNP Paribas Fortis’ beautiful La Chancellerie venue. Expat Financial Affairs became a go to event for all the internationals living in Belgium because it provides a unique chance to learn about many different aspects of managing one’s finances as an expat in Belgium.

For all those who missed this event, we encourage you to take a look at the BNP Paribas Fortis Expat website where you can get more information on a number of different topics as well as open a bank account even before moving to Belgium.