Practitioners call for expanded access to financial education

• At the European Forum Alpbach, the European Alliance of Financial Practitioners adopted a statement calling for improved access to quality financial education across Europe
• Ten organisations from nine EU Member States bring practitioner experience into Europe’s financial education agenda
• Alliance targets 4,000 financial educators by 2028

Europe is taking a new step to connect financial education policy with the experience of those delivering it on the ground, supported by the EIB Institute, part of the European Investment Bank Group. At the European Forum Alpbach, senior policymakers, experts, foundations, financial-sector leaders and financial education practitioners came together to shape the next phase of the European Alliance of Financial Education Practitioners (FIN.e).

Only 18% of EU citizens have a high level of financial literacy, according to the European Commission’s latest study. Meanwhile, Europeans face increasingly complex decisions around saving, investing, retirement and digital financial services, while the EU seeks to mobilise more private investment through the Savings and Investments Union.

Against this backdrop, the FIN.e Advisory Board adopted the Alpbach Statement on Financial Education, calling for a stronger connection between policy and practice and setting four priorities: bringing practitioner evidence into policy discussions; sharing high-quality approaches and educational tools across borders; strengthening cooperation and capacity among practitioners; and expanding access to quality financial education, particularly for underserved groups.

“This couldn’t have come at a better time. Financial education is not only about understanding financial products. It is about equipping citizens with the confidence and skills to navigate an increasingly complex economic environment,” said EIB Vice-President Marko Primorac. “As Europe works to strengthen its Savings and Investments Union and economic resilience, financial capability becomes more important than ever. FIN.e gives a stronger voice to the practitioners working directly with learners and communities across Europe.”

The first FIN.e Practitioner Lab brought together ten organisations from Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.

Working directly with learners, schools, families and communities, they exchanged experience, identified common challenges and examined approaches that could be adapted and shared across Europe.

The Alliance will establish thematic working groups, strengthen peer learning and capacity-building, share effective approaches and create stronger channels for experience from the ground to inform European and national policy discussions.

FIN.e is implemented through a partnership between the EIB Institute, ActionAid Hellas and Aflatoun International, with funding provided by the EIB Institute.

By the end of 2028, the Alliance aims to bring together at least 27 organisations and more than 4,000 practitioners, building a cross-border community able to share what works and strengthen the reach and quality of financial education across Europe.

The goal is straightforward: to ensure that financial education policy is informed by the people who know what works in practice.

Background information

EIB Group

The European Investment Bank (EIB) Group is the financing arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States, and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, the EIB Group signed €100 billion in new financing and advisory services for over 870 high-impact projects under eight core priorities that support EU policy objectives: climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, territorial cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships and the savings and investments union. Beyond long-term loans for large infrastructure, the EIB Group crowds in private investment for high-risk innovative projects and businesses, with a growing role in Europe’s markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees and securitisations.

The European Investment Bank Institute was established by the European Investment Bank Group to promote social, educational and research initiatives that advance European public-interest objectives.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) is the subsidiary of the EIB Group specialised in providing guarantees, securitisation and equity to improve access to finance for small and medium-sized businesses and startups across Europe. Acting as an anchor investor, through its extensive network of partnering banks and investment funds, the EIF mobilises private investment and nurtures the ecosystem of venture capital funds to support innovative European entrepreneurs.

With the support of all 27 EU governments, the EIF has joined forces with institutional investors in a pan-European alliance to mobilise up to €80 billion for investment into innovative companies scaling up to become global leaders. The joint effort will expand the size and scope of the highly successful European Tech Champions Initiative, which has helped create 15 European mega-funds and scale 45 companies, including 12 unicorns, since being established three years ago.

Photos of the EIB Group’s representatives and headquarters, logo files and video B-roll for media use are available here.