European Banking Federation

To close this year’s edition of European Money Week national initiatives, we head north to Finland 🇫🇮 ! Throughout #EMW25 and the week that followed, the European Banking Federation has proudly highlighted how our members across Europe are advancing #FinancialEducation. Today, we conclude this year’s spotlight series with Finance Finland, a strong advocate for financial literacy at the national level. 📚 What is Finance Finland doing?  Finanssiala ry - Finance Finland plays an active role in supporting and advancing the National Strategy for Financial Literacy, coordinated by the Bank of Finland. This collaborative effort aims to strengthen citizens’ financial knowledge and skills across all age groups, helping them make informed financial decisions in everyday life. 💡 How does it work?  ✅ Finance Finland contributes to the strategy’s development and implementation  ✅ The strategy focuses on lifelong learning, tailored to the needs of youth, adults, and seniors  ✅ Key areas include money management, digital financial tools, and consumer awareness 🏆 Why it matters?  A well-executed national strategy ensures that financial education is not a one-off effort, but a sustainable, long-term commitment. By collaborating with public institutions, Finance Finland is helping to build a financially resilient society—empowering individuals to confidently navigate today’s fast-changing financial landscape. 🔗 Learn more about Finland’s national strategy: https://lnkd.in/ejKXNiVA 🔗 Discover how you can get involved in your country: https://lnkd.in/drBRzWsZ  #FinEdu #FinLit #EuropeanMoneyWeek #EMW

The EBF has published its response to the European Commission's consultation on the Taxonomy Disclosures Delegated Act, welcoming the steps toward simplification but warning that key challenges for banks remain. In particular, data collection from retail clients remains highly problematic, and the temporary nature of the proposed solution creates operational complexity and costs. To ensure GAR reporting is effective, proportionate, and comparable, the EBF recommends suspending current requirements until the full review is completed, and calls for a simplified, more usable Green Asset Ratio. 🖇️Read the full response here: https://lnkd.in/d_x5KZNF

Our Deputy CEO Sébastien de Brouwer poses a key question in the article below: Is Savings and Investments Union (SIU) the watershed moment Europe needs and deserves?

Europe’s biggest financial literacy competition for teenagers is back! The European Money Quiz (EMQ) returns for its 9th edition – and this year, we’re excited to welcome two new countries to the competition: Bulgaria and Cyprus! They’ll join teams from across the continent – including Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and Ukraine – to test their financial skills and knowledge. 30 national champions will travel to Brussels on 22-23 May for the European finals, where we’ll crown the next European Money Quiz champions! At the European Banking Federation, we believe financial literacy is key to building a resilient and thriving society. That’s why we’re proud to lead this initiative alongside our members – helping young people across Europe build lifelong financial skills. 🔗 Learn more about the EMQ 2025: https://lnkd.in/dvTBHACE #EMQ #EMQ2025 

We’re keeping the spotlight on financial education! After the success of #EMW25, we’re continuing to highlight impactful initiatives that didn’t make it into last week’s lineup. Today, our journey takes us to Latvia 🇱🇻, where a popular national quiz show is helping students sharpen their financial knowledge in an exciting and engaging way. 📚 What is “Smarter, Even Smarter”? (Gudrs, vēl gudrāks)  Broadcast every Friday throughout the school year on Latvian Public Television (LTV), this quiz show invites students in grades 5–12 from all over Latvia to participate in a fun, competitive challenge. Combining school subjects with current issues, the show covers everything from music and politics to financial literacy and money management. 💡 How does it work?  ✅ 3 semi-finals per age group with 12 contestants in each  ✅ Top 2 students from each semi-final qualify for the final  ✅ Each game, including the final, consists of 4 rounds  ✅ Questions are designed by experts, public figures and Finance Latvia, which prepares the second-round questions focused on finance and money management 🏆 Why it matters?  “Smarter, Even Smarter” is one of Latvia’s most beloved quiz shows, encouraging young people to see knowledge as key to achieving future goals. By including personal finance topics, Latvijas Finanšu nozares asociācija | Finance Latvia Association ensures that the next generation develops essential skills to navigate the financial realities of life. 🔗 Learn more and watch episodes here: https://lnkd.in/edAfV94x   🔗 Discover how you can get involved in your country: https://lnkd.in/drBRzWsZ  #FinEdu #FinLit #EuropeanMoneyWeek #EMW

This coming Thursday 27th of March, our colleague Roger Kaiser, Head of Tax & Compliance at the European Banking Federation, will contribute to the AML Conference organised by the Belgian Financial Forum that will take place in Brussels. This session will bring together leading legal, regulatory, and financial experts to explore key developments in the fight against money laundering at European and national level. Roger Kaiser will speak on: “European AML rules: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the 2024 package? What regulatory innovations for financial institutions?” His intervention will provide a deep dive into the EU’s evolving framework to combat #MoneyLaundering and its implications for the #FinancialSector. 🔗 For more information on the event click here: https://lnkd.in/dtBFBw4B 

What role should legislation play in the fight against payment fraud? In our latest #BankingSpotlight video, Eric Ducoulombier, Head of the Retail and Payments Unit at the European Commission (DG FISMA), shares his insights on why legislation is a powerful, yet complex, tool in combating fraud. Legal frameworks play a crucial role in enhancing predictability and legal certainty, ensuring a level playing field, and establishing clear standards for both fraud prevention and redress. However, important challenges remain. These include the risk of regulatory action arriving too late in a fast-changing fraud landscape and the difficulty of achieving the right balance without overlooking essential elements. Addressing these issues requires solid data, comprehensive impact assessments, and close cooperation across the entire ecosystem, including EU institutions and industry stakeholders. With payment fraud continuing to rise and undermining both consumer trust and market stability, timely and well-designed action is essential. Watch the video to explore how the EU is working toward a robust and future-proof framework to tackle fraud effectively. 🖇️ Stay updated with EBF’s latest insights by subscribing to our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/dcg3FUn

European Money Week may be over, but we're not done celebrating financial education across Europe! Last week, we shared a range of inspiring initiatives from our members, yet many more deserve recognition. This week, we continue shining a light on impactful programs, and today we head to Spain 🇪🇸. 📚 What is “Tus Finanzas, Tu Futuro” (Your Finances, Your Future)?  Led by the Spanish Banking Association (Asociación Española de Banca) in collaboration with Fundación Junior Achievement, Tus Finanzas, Tu Futuro is a financial education program that brings banking professionals into classrooms to help young people understand how to manage their money. Now in its latest edition, the program takes on even greater significance with the active involvement of volunteers from Spain’s key financial authorities: the Bank of Spain, the CNMV, and the Ministry of Economy. 💡 How does it work?  ✅ Banking and institutional volunteers lead interactive workshops in schools  ✅ Students learn the fundamentals of personal finance, including saving, budgeting, and planning  ✅ The program promotes financial responsibility and critical thinking from an early age 🏆 Why it matters?  By connecting students directly with financial professionals and regulators, Tus Finanzas, Tu Futuro helps demystify the world of finance and empowers young people to take charge of their financial future. This year’s edition reflects a strong public-private partnership, united by a shared goal: to build a more financially savvy generation. 🔗 Learn more about the initiative: https://lnkd.in/ev5ReE8y  🔗 Discover how you can get involved in your country: https://lnkd.in/drBRzWsZ  #FinEdu #FinLit #EuropeanMoneyWeek #EMW

EBF was delighted to have Alice Guedel from the Cabinet of EU Commissioner for Financial Services Maria Luís Albuquerque speaking on the European Commission priorities and plans in the area of #DigitalFinance at our Digital Strategy Group meeting of yesterday, chaired by Kolja Gabriel of Association of German Banks (BdB) and co-chaired by Pablo Urbiola Ortún of BBVA.   We touched upon many topics and our productive discussion highlighted how digital finance is strongly linked to the political objectives of making the #EU more sovereign, competitive and resilient, and how important the simplification of rules is in achieving these goals. EBF Digital Strategy Group brings together senior experts from national banking associations and some of Europe's largest banks, who discuss on strategic issues that impact the digital transformation of European banks, both legislative and non-legislative including #DigitalEuro, data sharing, #Payments and #AI. EBF is keen to continue engaging with European Commission, Maria Luís Albuquerque in a constructive manner under this political mandate.

This morning, EBF Deputy CEO Sébastien de Brouwer appeared on Euronews TV to discuss the importance of the European Commission’s Savings and Investments Union (SIU) Communication for EU citizens. He outlined what is still needed to fully realise its potential and emphasised the value of educating people about investing in financial markets. 🖇️ Watch his full intervention here: https://lnkd.in/dYcibPe