The Italian team won the European Money Quiz, Europe's largest financial literacy competition for 13- to 15-year-olds, organized by the European Banking Federation (EBF).

National winners from 30 countries gathered in Brussels last week to compete for the title of European champions. The team from North Macedonia came in second, while Sweden secured third place.

"We are extremely proud to host the 9th European Money Quiz, a clear demonstration of the banking sector's strong commitment, together with participating schools, to improving financial skills. The competition continues to grow and evolve, with Bulgaria and Cyprus joining us for the first time this year," said Wim Mijs, CEO of EBF.

He added that “financial literacy is a key that can open the door to a secure future,” so “it is vital to ensure that young Europeans develop the right skills and attitudes from an early age.”

The quiz challenged students on essential financial topics relevant to teenagers, including long-term planning, saving strategies, understanding cryptocurrencies, cybersecurity awareness, and responsible credit management.

This year, 73,054 students from 2,877 schools in 30 countries participated in the competition. Sixty students qualified for the European final in Brussels, accompanied by teachers and national banking representatives. Portugal was represented by Rodrigo Fernandes and Pedro Moura, from Alves Martins Secondary School in Viseu.

The two-day program included the final round of the quiz, a visit to the Wikifin Lab of the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority, a bell-ringing ceremony at the Euronext Stock Exchange, and a visit to the Parlamentarium, the European Parliament's visitor center.

The 2025 edition was attended by 30 countries: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the 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.

Financial literacy is crucial for a secure and resilient society. The European Commission recently announced a European Strategy for Financial Literacy, which is expected to be published later this year. Although there are already numerous financial literacy initiatives at national level, in the private sector and through NGOs, the Commission's future strategy offers an opportunity to better coordinate these efforts.

Created by the European Banking Federation (EBF) in 2018, the EMQ is a competition that aims to test the financial literacy skills of young Europeans aged between 13 and 15. For the eighth consecutive year, APB, which is a member of EBF, is joining this initiative, which has already involved more than 20,000 students in Portugal alone and more than 1 million participants in Europe.

For more information, visit the APB website or follow the social media accounts of Saber de Contas, APB's financial literacy portal (Facebook and Instagram).