Unicaja and Fundación de los Bancos y Cajas de CECA (Funcas) once again seal their commitment to promote financial education and literacy in society. Both entities have renewed for the sixth consecutive year the collaboration agreement they maintain to continue working and developing initiatives which contribute to improve citizens' knowledge of economy and finance.
With this agreement, Unicaja joins one more year to the 'Programa Funcas de Estímulo de la Educación Financiera' ('Programa Funcas Educa'), which reaches its sixth edition, thus giving continuity to the alliance initiated by both entities in 2018.
This agreement, which has been ratified by the CEO of Unicaja, Isidro Rubiales, and the general manager of Funcas, Carlos Ocaña, pursues, among other objectives, the promotion of financial education actions aimed at citizens, so that they can acquire the necessary concepts and skills, and develop with greater autonomy in the management of their personal finances, while contributing to the progress of society.
During the signing ceremony, the CEO of Unicaja, Isidro Rubiales, stressed "the importance of continuing to make progress in promoting financial education to help every citizen to know and understand the financial scenario, in order to make better decisions, and to society in general, with special attention from an early age and to the most vulnerable groups". "Having a better financial education and literacy will accentuate its benefits in a world that is increasingly interconnected and open to new technological advances and also to new risks", he pointed out.
In this sense, Rubiales, who has valued the "relevant contribution" that the boost of Funcas represents to the advancement of financial education, has highlighted the intense work carried out by the Edufinet Project, promoted by Unicaja -within the framework of its social commitment and the social aspect of its sustainability strategy-, together with Fundación Unicaja, as one of the pioneering financial education programs in the country, with the promotion of activities to bring economic and financial keys to the general population and, especially, to children, young people and the elderly, focusing on relevant aspects such as sustainability, digitization, cybersecurity and entrepreneurship.
The general manager of Funcas pointed out that "the Programa Funcas Educa has given an important boost to the training of large groups in such crucial matters as the use of digital media or cybersecurity. It has also contributed to better decision-making related to savings and the management of personal finances". He also highlighted Unicaja's commitment to this program, which has materialized in various initiatives funded by Funcas Educa.
Financial education activities
Within the framework of this new agreement, Unicaja, through the Edufinet Project, offers several activities, ranging from conferences and a congress to a contest, tools and a financial game, as well as many publications.
These actions include a specific financial education program aimed at people with special needs, which will provide them with financial knowledge adapted to manage their resources autonomously and safely. In addition, a series of conferences on financial education and sports, aimed at athletes and sports professionals, with the collaboration of different associations; as well as the production of a board game on finances, which will be distributed in educational centers, to teach concepts in a practical way, through simulated experiences such as the management of a personal budget or investment in financial products.
Also noteworthy is the organization of the 7th Financial Education Congress and the 16th Financial Olympics for Young People; a retrospective publication of the general trajectory of financial education in Spain over the last 20 years, and the promotion of the development of audiovisual formats with the aim of increasing the accessibility and effectiveness of the educational purpose, with special attention to cybersecurity and fraud prevention.
Funcas and Edufinet
Funcas and CECA agreed on the implementation as from 2018 of the ' Programa Funcas de Estímulo de la Educación Financiera ' with the aim of contributing to financing financial education activities developed by CECA's member entities, consolidating existing projects and promoting new ones.
Additionally, the Edufinet Project, which has the collaboration of 17 universities and a ten business entities and organizations, is part of Unicaja's social commitment and its sustainability strategy.
As part of its activities, it organizes workshops for children, young people, senior citizens and other groups, promotes other training activities such as publications, audiovisual content and digital games, and carries out a program to measure the effectiveness of its programs.
Since the beginning of its activity, the Edufinet Project portals have accumulated more than 20 million visits to date, with access from some 180 countries. Since its inception, almost 260,000 people have attended courses and seminars. In the area of publications, 30 works have been published.
In 2023, the number of beneficiaries of the activities carried out by Edufinet reached more than 210,000. In addition, nearly 80 articles were published (informative, academic and specialized) and the Edufinet Financial Education Center was inaugurated in Salamanca, in addition to the one in Malaga.
