In Spain we suspend in financial education.
The last Pisa report made to children between 13 and 15 years of age on financial knowledge, which places our country at the tenth position of the organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD).
Faced with others as low or UK countries, the non-obligatory nature of a specific subject in the school period is the cause, at least in part, of the problem.
In adulthood, that lack of financial knowledge translates into problems when managing domestic finance and less savings capacity.
“Many people learn about the march at important moments of their life, such as buying a living or undertaking a business,” says María del Mar Pérez Cano, Director of Digital Distribution of Santander Spain.
“Being a mandatory teaching subject in schools would improve the financial culture of the country,” she adds.
On the occasion of the International Day of Financial Education, which took place on Monday, October 4, Banco Santander, through the Santander Financial Instinute (Sanfi) has scheduled until next October 10th of activities to continue promoting financial education
In Spain with training sessions and other actions addressed to different social groups and society in general.
Beyond the activities scheduled during this week, the entity is also underway other financial education projects, such as their Finance for Mortal Program.
In collaboration with Sanfi, its professionals impart training voluntarily throughout Spain, mainly to the financially more vulnerable groups.
In 2020, more than 716,000 people from the countries where Banco Santander operates, benefited from this initiative (30% more than the previous year) that has also served to bring basic financial knowledge to prisoners of Valencia-Antoni penitentiary
Asunción, Teixeiro (La Coruña), the Bureau (Cantabria) and Burgos, in a pilot project, thanks to an agreement by Banco Santander and Sanfi with penitentiary institutions (IIPP) and the Foundation of the University of Cantabria for study and research
of the financial sector (UCEIF).
Likewise, through the Web University for Foundation of the Edelvives Foundation, they offer free formative content to encourage and raise awareness of the importance of financial education in the school environment, both students and their families and teachers.
His action pioneers seeks to bring the senior population closer, one of the most affected by his financial vulnerability and the accelerator of digitization and new technologies.
Through training in empathy and other skills of offices employees, it is intended to facilitate the digitization of clients over 65, making the capabilities that the Santander app designed in mind thinking about them.
One of the various initiatives developed in different countries by which the entity has just received the Euromoney Award as the best Global Bank in financial inclusion.
“It’s about getting closer and introduced them into the digital world through everyday interactions such as consulting their new notebook, where new movements have at hand since the last time they connected. Thus they have, in a simple way, a follow-up of its activity
Financial daily, “explains Pérez Cano.
At present, this bank has 1.1 million digital customers over 65 who represent 52% in this agenda.
In the last year, this figure has increased by 10%, due in part to the confinement of last year and the impossibility of going to the physical offices.
New technologies and financial apps, such as Banco Santander, also help improve the financial knowledge of its users, since “facilitate people’s lives by creating a better digital experience,” says Pérez Cano.
For example, the financial agenda of the Bank App seeks customers to have good financial health, keeping up the control of their expenses and offering information about what is going to happen in their account during the next days, as the
Payment of receipts and subscriptions, quotas and liquidations of loans, cards, insurance or periodic transfers, among others.
At present, Banco Santander has 5.3 million digital customers and 67% of them already hires or perform operations through this channel.