Europe Builds a Financial Education Network Rooted in Real Experience

Europe is creating a closer connection between financial education policy and the people who teach money skills in schools, families and communities. Supported by the EIB Institute, part of the European Investment Bank Group, the European Alliance of Financial Education Practitioners, known as FIN.e, brought policymakers, foundations, financial-sector leaders, experts and educators together at the European Forum Alpbach to shape a more practical and inclusive approach to financial learning.

Financial choices are becoming harder for millions of Europeans

Only 18% of European Union citizens have a high level of financial literacy, according to a European Commission study, leaving many people without the knowledge or confidence needed to make informed decisions about savings, investments, pensions, borrowing and digital financial services. These choices increasingly affect everyday security, yet financial information can feel confusing, technical or disconnected from the realities faced by low-income families, young people, older citizens and communities with limited access to trusted guidance.

Financial capability also carries wider importance as the EU develops its Savings and Investments Union and seeks to direct more private savings towards productive investment. Citizens are more likely to participate confidently when they understand financial risks, recognise unsuitable products and feel capable of planning for future needs. EIB Vice-President Marko Primorac described financial education as a way of giving people the confidence and skills required to navigate a more complex economic environment, rather than simply teaching them how financial products work.

The Alpbach Statement gives practitioners a stronger voice

The FIN.e Advisory Board adopted the Alpbach Statement on Financial Education, setting out four priorities for the Alliance. Practitioner evidence should become part of policy discussions, effective educational tools should travel more easily across borders, organisations need stronger opportunities for cooperation and capacity-building, and quality financial education must reach underserved groups that are often excluded from mainstream programmes.

These priorities reflect a simple problem within many education systems: policies may be designed at national or European level without enough input from the people who work directly with learners. Teachers, community organisations and specialist educators see which explanations connect with different age groups, where cultural or language barriers appear, why some digital tools fail and what helps people turn knowledge into healthier financial habits. Giving these practitioners a direct route into policy discussions could make programmes more relevant, accessible and useful.

A cross-border community will share methods that work

The first FIN.e Practitioner Lab gathered ten organisations from Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Participants shared their experiences with learners, schools and families, identified challenges found across several countries and explored approaches that could be adapted for different communities without losing their practical value.

FIN.e will create thematic working groups, expand peer learning, strengthen practitioner skills and build channels through which local experience can inform European and national decisions. The Alliance is delivered through a partnership between the EIB Institute, ActionAid Hellas and Aflatoun International, with funding from the EIB Institute.

By the end of 2028, FIN.e plans to include at least 27 organisations and more than 4,000 practitioners. That growing network could help successful ideas move beyond individual classrooms or community projects, giving educators access to tested resources while helping decision-makers understand what people actually need. The central principle remains clear: Europe's financial education policies should be shaped by evidence from those who see, every day, what works in practice.