Category: News

  • The Entrepreneur Fund’s membership fee remains the same in 2026

    The Entrepreneur Fund’s membership fee remains the same in 2026

    The Entrepreneur Fund’s membership fee will remain the same next year, although the fund is still preparing for a possible increase in benefit expenditure due to the uncertain global situation. The membership fee will be 1.7% of annual income above €9 600.

    There are already cautiously positive signs in the economy, with consumer confidence strengthening and investments picking up. However, the Entrepreneur Fund is cautious about the future, but seeing some positive changes. The fund’s stable financial position means that it does not need to increase its membership fees – on the contrary, it can support its members by keeping them unchanged.

    “We at the Entrepreneur Fund are rather cautious, although positive growth is already expected in the economic situation. We have made long-term efforts to strengthen the solvency of the Entrepreneur Fund to a level that allows us to operate calmly even in the midst of change. It is great that we can maintain our membership fee the same” , says cashier Merja Jokinen.

    Unemployment among members of the Entrepreneur Fund has decreased compared to the previous year

    The employment situation of the members of the Entrepreneur Fund has improved from last year’s level. Although Finland has seen a record number of business closures, the unemployment rate of the members of the Entrepreneur’s Fund has fallen, which reflects the adaptability of entrepreneurs and the gradual recovery of the economy.

    “In October 2025, the Entrepreneur Fund paid daily allowances to 649 members, which corresponds to an unemployment rate of 2.5%. A year earlier, there were 715 recipients. Although business closures have been at a record level, this has not increased the number of people receiving the daily allowance. This says a lot about the resilience and perseverance of entrepreneurs,” says Jokinen.

    The annual membership fee for the Entrepreneur Fund is set by the Financial Supervisory Authority. The fee can be paid in one, four or twelve instalments. With a minimum income of €15,481 per annum, the tax-deductible membership fee for the employment requirement in 2026 will be €99.98 per year, or around €8.33 per month.

  • The lower limit for entrepreneurs’ income security will be €15 481 in 2026

    The lower limit for entrepreneurs’ income security will be €15 481 in 2026

    The lower limit for unemployment benefit for entrepreneurs will rise next year as a result of the change in the wage coefficient. In 2026 , the minimum annual income for an entrepreneur to qualify for unemployment benefit will be €15 481.

    In other words, an entrepreneur is covered by unemployment insurance and can insure themselves with the Entrepreneur Fund if their pension insurance (YEL, MYEL income or TyEL salary of a co-owner of a company) is based on an annual income of at least €15 481.

    In 2025, the minimum threshold for unemployment benefit was set at €15 128 per year.

  • Forest brought a new start – Carita Peltonen was chosen as the Most Gambler of 2025

    Forest brought a new start – Carita Peltonen was chosen as the Most Gambler of 2025

    Carita Peltonen, founder and CEO of Metsämood, has been selected as the Entrepreneur Fund’s Most Gambler Entrepreneur of 2025. She is a seasoned entrepreneur who has built four companies in her career, achieved success, exhausted herself and risen again after bankruptcy.

    – Carita’s story shows that entrepreneurship is not a series of complete successes, but the courage to rise again. Bankruptcy does not define a person – a true entrepreneur takes a risk and dares to try again, says Merja Jokinen, Treasurer of the Entrepreneur Fund

    In the forest found the strength to rise again

    In his twenty-five years as an entrepreneur, Peltonen has seen both great success stories and difficult moments. The bankruptcy that came with his corona and his previous exhaustion forced him to stop – and led him to the healing power of the forest.

    – You could say that my story began again from the paths in the forest. In my case, both business and recovery lead to the forest. Nature, especially the evergreen forest, is my lifeline,” says Peltonen.

    His current company Metsämood and its brand Metsä/Skogen bring forest to places where you wouldn’t expect it: hotels, airports and business parks. The concepts combine forest products made by small domestic producers, such as natural cosmetics and wild foods, with a spatial design where the multi-sensory forest experience calms down in the midst of the hustle and bustle.

    – The spaces we design offer a touch of something that is often overlooked in the built environment. We offer a multi-sensory forest experience with tactile prints, smells and sounds in spaces where the well-being effects of nature are needed, but going to the forest is not possible,” says Peltonen.

    “Skutsimutsi” believes in perseverance and networks

    Peltonen, also known as Skutsimutsi, feels that the award is a tribute to perseverance.

    I had a tear of emotion in the corner of my eye. Entrepreneurship is about perseverance, believing in your vision and having the courage to keep going despite the difficulties, Peltonen says.

    For start-up entrepreneurs, he stresses the importance of networking and planning:

    – Believing in your dreams will give your business direction, but don’t build your whole business on dreams alone. Entrepreneurship requires hard work, courageous decisions and the ability to stand up when the going gets tough.

    The 10th edition of the competition attracted nearly 70 proposals

    Now in its tenth year, the Gambler’s Thinest Entrepreneur competition attracted almost 70 entries this year. The winner was chosen by a jury of entrepreneurs and Entrepreneur Fund staff.

    Previous winners:

    2024 – Ville Mäkipelto

    2023 – Anu Mäkinen

    2022 – Aarni Pahajoki

    2021 – Laura Salonen

    2020 – Jarno Ankerman

    2019 – Jenni Parpala

    2018 – Tomi Mäkipelto

    2017 – Jutta Larm

    2016 – Riku Rantala, Tuomas Milonoff and Elise Pietarila

    Text and photo: Veera Mohell