Preparing young people together for a financially conscious future: that is the aim of Febelfin's new educational platform. For several years, Febelfin has been launching various initiatives together with its members and developing teaching materials to teach young people greater financial independence and knowledge. All initiatives and teaching materials are now brought together at www.klassebank.be (only in Dutch/French).    

But that's not all! The platform also offers free guest lessons in financial education to schools. Employees from the financial sector come to the class to teach youngsters all about money and finance. Teachers can easily request these guest lessons. This gives young people the chance to develop important financial skills and be well prepared for the future, while supporting teachers in achieving the learning objectives on economic and financial competences. 

Learning objectives are the minimum goals set by the government for education in Flanders. They describe what pupils must know and be able to do as a minimum by the end of a given education period. For economic and financial competences in secondary education, it is crucial that young people understand the basics of economics and finance, such as budgeting, saving, investing and managing debts. To support teachers in this regard, Febelfin offers guest lessons given by bank employees via the platform. These guest lessons make learning about money matters not only insightful, but also fun and interactive! The information given during such a guest lesson is completely neutral and has no commercial angle.

As a teacher, you can opt for different types of guest lessons. For example, an introductory lesson with the fun ‘Fin quiz’. This lesson lasts one lesson hour and contains questions and statements that make students think about topics such as payment transactions, online fraud, payment options and investments.   

If teachers want to go a step further, they can choose a ‘specialised lesson’. These lessons are linked to specific teaching objectives and are listed by grade. Discover the full range on www.klassebank.be (only in Dutch/French).

The whole process is fully automated. After registration, the tool will look for a match (guest lecturer) or you will be matched with a bank employee you have already been in contact with. 

On the platform, bank employees can easily sign up as guest teachers. It works according to the same principle: you are already in contact with a teacher or school, or you are still looking for a school where you will give a guest lesson. As a guest lecturer, you will receive a fun guest teacher pack full of financial tips and tricks to leave behind in the classroom. The guest lessons are given on a voluntary basis and demonstrate the sector's commitment to this topic.

Febelfin, together with its members, has been committed to financial education for quite some time and already has a nice range of free teaching materials for teachers or organisations to get started with. From nice youth websites and money confessions to escape games or school plays. The full range can be found on the new platform. 

In addition, the industry is making efforts to develop new material that meets the needs of young people. This includes a new board game to raise awareness of online fraud among young people, new teaching materials for primary schools and information on topics such as borrowing, credit, investing and retirement savings. According to research, these are all subjects young people want to know more about. 

Febelfin surveys young people's financial literacy on a regular basis. The fact that their financial knowledge is not that good is confirmed for the 5th year in a row. However, financial literacy is essential to manage money well and build up wealth.   

Below are some findings:   

This survey highlights once again that Belgians, and especially young people, need objective and simple information on financial matters, highlighting the importance of financial education. Financial literacy is essential to manage money well and build wealth. Especially in uncertain economic times.  

People who are less aware of their financial affairs are more likely to have money problems. Febelfin wants to improve the financial knowledge of Belgian citizens and young people so that they can make conscious choices and understand their impact. We also want to break the taboo around money matters. Young people need support with financial decisions, and these skills should be taught at an early age. 

Increasing financial education among young people is a shared responsibility of the financial sector, government, education and other stakeholders. With this new platform, the financial sector hopes to contribute to this social demand.  

This year's European Money Week will take place from 17 to 21 March 2025. This is an annual theme week organised by FSMA, the Financial Services and Markets Authority, with the support of Febelfin. The aim of this week is to make money matters as widely discussable as possible and pay extra attention to the importance of financial education. With the launch of the new platform, the financial sector is also trying to do its part in this regard. 

If you would like to attend a guest lesson, please contact press@febelfin.be.