The Smart cooperative, which linked more than 21,500 autonomous workers at the end of 2025, has approved its new “Smart 2030” strategy, aiming to enable more people to build sustainable and profitable businesses in a secure environment.
Founded in 1998, Smart provides an alternative to the standard self-employed status by allowing people with entrepreneurial projects to join the cooperative.
Members benefit from reduced administrative and financial burdens as soon as their activities generate income, in exchange for contributions.
By the end of last year, Smart had nearly 46,000 members, including over 21,500 self-employed workers (equivalent to 2,274 full-time positions), and recorded a turnover of €198.146 million. On Tuesday, its “Smart 2030” strategy was approved by 96% of the 3,184 members attending its general meeting.
The initiative aims to position Smart as a leading name in secure entrepreneurship in Belgium.
Its framework comprises seven key goals, including increasing visibility, improving member protection against professional risks, fostering diversity among members, and enhancing organisational agility.
CEO Sylvie Marique highlighted the cooperative’s core philosophy in a statement.
“Cooperation is an essential solution for fostering collective and individual growth," she wrote. "The Smart model is built on pooling resources to fund a range of tools and services.
"Access to these is fair, regardless of individual contributions. This solidarity mechanism isn’t just an added touch – it’s a true economic driver.”
