Financial Education Day – 2016
Bancool’s simulation of how a real bank works in a true replica of a branch, a workshop on saving, a kids’ drawing competition and a financial culture quiz - these were the activities organised by Associação Portuguesa de Bancos (APB - Portuguese Banking Association) in yet another participation in the events of Financial Education Day / World Savings Day, which reached over 450 students from the 1st to the 12th grade.
The events, which had the support of Instituto de Formação Bancária (IFB - Bank Training Institute), took place at Amadora Upper Secondary School on 2 November. Students from the IFB Banking Techniques and Operations Course and the APB Financial Education Working Group organised Bancool, which was designed to teach the participants about the role that banks play in society, in support for the economy and in access to a wide variety of means of payment.
Bancool
The Amadora students also took a quiz in which the IFB representatives helped them assess their financial culture.
Quiz
These activities conducted by young people for young people also illustrated the greater or lesser complexity of financial products, raised awareness of security issues and showed how the relationship between customers and financial institutions worked.
Workshop
The APB and its member banks also organised a workshop for upper secondary students in which they were encouraged to start saving as soon as possible.
Drawing competition
There was also a drawing competition for primary school kids. They were asked to design a note that showed what money meant to them, how important it was and what they should do with it.
This event was part of the National Financial Education Plan (Banco de Portugal, CMVM [Portuguese Stock Exchange Commission] and Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões [Insurance and Pension Fund Supervisory Authority]). The APB was present once again with the goal of raising awareness of the importance of more and better financial education.
The second financial education manual was presented at the Amadora school. It is for secondary school students and follows on from last year’s publication of the first manual, for primary schools. The national plan’s initiative has the dedicated support of the APB, along with the APS, APFIPP and ASFAC. The Ministry of Education is also one of its partners.
