On 27 March 2025, the National Bank of Ukraine, together with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, held the second FinLit Forum conference.
The FinLit Forum is the largest educational conference on financial literacy in Ukraine. It was first held by the NBU in 2024.
This year’s conference was dedicated to the topic of introducing financial literacy in the New Ukrainian School curriculum. The event, which brought together over 3,700 participants was held as part of Global Money Week.
The discussions of the conference participants focused primarily on the introduction of a new compulsory subject in schools, Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy, which will be taught to eighth-grade students starting in September 2025. While being a significant step towards boosting the financial literacy of young people, the introduction of the new subject is also a significant challenge for educational institutions. Teachers have to undergo special training, authors are required to prepare high-quality textbooks and other teaching materials, and schools have to choose the best ones for their students.
“Financial literacy is not just a skill, but a vital necessity in the modern world,” said NBU Deputy Governor Oleksii Shaban in his welcome speech at the conference. “Thanks to the joint efforts of government agencies, educators, and experts, we are creating conditions that will enable Ukrainian schoolchildren to gain practical financial knowledge and skills. This is an important step towards the financial sustainability of future generations. We thank the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for introducing this subject. The NBU has been working in this area for more than 10 years and will continue to work systematically, as it has a mandate from the state to improve the financial literacy of the population, and will always support young people and the educational community in this endeavor.”
Shaban added that over the past three years, 27,000 teachers have been trained and upgraded their skills at the NBU’s Talan Financial Knowledge Center. And this process continues.
“Studying entrepreneurship and financial literacy in grades 8-9 is not just an update of the school curriculum, but a strategic step towards the formation of a financially responsible society,” said Inna Kilderova, Acting Director General of the School Education Directorate of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. “Thanks to modern teaching methods, we will help students acquire important competencies that will become the basis for their financial well-being. We are grateful to the NBU for many years of cooperation in this area.”
The conference agenda was rich, and covered key topics of financial literacy development in Ukraine. The speakers presented the National Strategy for the Development of Financial Literacy until 2030, and shared the results of a study of the level of entrepreneurship and financial literacy competence among adolescents.
In addition, the team of authors, which consisted of NBU experts, presented the 8th grade textbook “Entrepreneurship and Financial Literacy,” which was prepared jointly with the Osvita Publishing House. The team demonstrated to teachers the entire ecosystem of educational materials developed by NBU experts. These included a workbook, lesson presentations, an electronic app, and a teacher’s manual.
The NBU has also created a separate website for teachers who will teach the subject of entrepreneurship and financial literacy, where it has collected all the necessary information to ease the work of educators. Materials from the NBU experts will help educational institutions ensure that the subject is effectively and easily introduced into the educational process.
From 31 March to 4 April 2025, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine held a competition for educational institutions to choose textbooks for the 8th grade for the 2025/2026 school year. The NBU is ready to support educators by providing a comprehensive set of materials.
During the panel discussion, experts talked about the challenges that may arise when integrating financial literacy into the educational process and shared recommendations for effective teacher training.
To watch a recording of the conference, please visit the NBU’s official YouTube channel.
The FinLit Forum conference is an annual educational initiative of the NBU’s Talan Financial Knowledge Center, which is held as part of Global Money Week.
The Talan Financial Knowledge Center is a free national financial literacy platform created by the NBU to train and support the educational community.
Global Money Week is an annual international educational campaign aimed at developing the financial awareness of children and young people, shaping their knowledge, skills, behavior and attitudes towards money so they can make smart and informed financial decisions that will help them achieve financial well-being and sustainability.