Humanity is immersed in a digital revolution, a process that has brought about the greatest change in society since the Industrial Revolution. The discovery of new digital technologies has led to disruptive changes in society as a whole and in the economy.
In this regard, the financial sector has been undergoing a profound transformation for years, driven by this digitalisation. This digital revolution raises important challenges while at the same time enhancing a democratisation in the access to financial services, favouring the financial and social inclusion of citizens. Financial education and digital literacy are particularly relevant in this digital journey.
The ability to understand and use financial tools in an on-line environment empowers individuals and promotes inclusion, fostering equal access to opportunities. Under this premise, every year the Bank of Spain and the CNMV commemorate
Financial Education Day, an initiative within the framework of the National Financial Education Plan with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of finances in our lives. Since 2008, the CECA sector -CaixaBank, Kutxabank and Cajasur Banco, Abanca, Unicaja Banco, Ibercaja Banco, Caixa Ontinyent, Colonya Pollença and Cecabank- is part of this movement to promote financial and digital literacy in society, convinced that it is an essential tool to promote progress from all perspectives. Proof of this is the two occasions on which CECA has received the "Finance for All Award" for its work in promoting financial literacy.
CECA's member entities, with the support of the Funcas Educa Programme, pursue their social vocation with the certainty that financial education is vital to developing financially responsible citizens. Proof of this commitment is shown by the fact that, in 2022, CECA and Funcas invested more than €2.23 million in promoting 122 programmes geared towards strengthening financial education in Spain, according to the 2022 Financial Education Executive Report. Over the last five years, the total investment undertaken by the CECA sector to improve financial literacy has totalled €15.37 million, and of this, €10.9 million was allocated to the 'Funcas Financial Education Stimulus Programme (Funcas Educa)'. This year, under the theme "Inclusive finance, finance for all", the Financial Education Week highlights the importance of training in digital skills to foster equal access to financial services, regardless of age or where we live. As part of its DNA, and thanks to its capillarity, CECA's member entities are an important promoter of activities throughout the country: round tables and conferences, training sessions, competitions and cross-cutting projects in which volunteers from the banking sector work together towards more inclusive finance.
However, CECA's commitment to the most vulnerable is evident throughout the whole year. This is attested to by various initiatives, including the Financial Inclusion Observatory, created by the AEB, CECA and Unacc, with the aim of compiling the commitments undertaken and the solutions proposed by the banking sector to guarantee access to banking services for the entire Spanish population, with special attention to rural areas and vulnerable groups, in a country with wide-ranging coverage. In Spain, 98% of adults hold a bank account, according to the World Bank, and 99% reside in a municipality with physical access to banking services, according to the Report on Financial Inclusion in Spain prepared by IVIE, and the goal is to raise financial inclusion to 100% of the population.
Furthermore, aware that financial education must cross the frontiers of training and transcend society, the CECA sector is committed to innovative formats that bring this knowledge closer to society. With this mission, in collaboration with the Blanca Marsillach Theatre Company, it has launched "Las cosas fáciles" (Things made easy), a production that aims to disseminate financial education among the elderly, one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to digitalisation, with the aim of promoting their autonomy and independence in managing their finances.
In an ever-changing world, financial education is a long-distance race. With the aim of detecting changes and trends in the wake of a volatile macroeconomic period, this year Funcas is preparing the new 2023 Survey on financial literacy and education, coordinated by Elisa Chuliá, an update of the study conducted in 2018 that aims to obtain updated data on behaviour and opinions on financial education, savings management and personal finances.
