Luxembourg Unveils Comprehensive 10-Point Financial Education Plan for Schools

New National Strategy for Financial Literacy

On Tuesday, December 2, 2025, Luxembourg's Minister of National Education, Children and Youth, Claude Meisch, unveiled a comprehensive 10-point national action plan designed to bolster financial education across the Grand Duchy's school system. The initiative seeks to provide young people with the crucial skills needed to navigate an evolving economic and technological environment, fostering autonomy, responsibility, and economic citizenship.

Minister Meisch emphasized the necessity of this plan, stating, 'We live in an environment in which economic and technological realities are changing rapidly. Young people are exposed very early to various financial products, often via their smartphones, without always having the necessary knowledge to make responsible choices. Growing complexity and the rapid emergence of new products require solid financial literacy today, but also a critical mindset.'

Key Pillars of the 10-Point Plan

The national action plan introduces a structured approach to financial education, moving beyond previous occasional initiatives. Most of the measures are slated for implementation starting from the 2026/2027 school year. Core components of the plan include:

• A national financial competence framework that will define the skills to be developed from cycle 1 of fundamental education up to year 1 of secondary education.
• Integration of introductory modules on financial literacy into early education, featuring interactive puppet shows for primary students.
• Dedicated courses on financial topics woven into the core curriculum for students from cycles 2 to 4.
• The launch of a new magazine, 'Piwitsch-Finanzguide,' aimed at older students, set to be available from the 2027/2028 school year.
• The 'EduStart-Up' initiative, encouraging secondary schools to establish school-based companies managed by students.
• The 'Finanzfürerschäin' certification program, allowing pupils in year five and year two of secondary education to formally certify their financial skills, with certification for year two pupils becoming available from the 2027/2028 school year.
• A national charter outlining rules for collaboration between the ministry and relevant financial sector actors.
• A 'Financial Literacy Label' for secondary schools actively engaged in regular financial education activities.
• Encouragement for schools to develop practical partnerships, such as portfolio management and stock-market simulations.
• A continuous monitoring system to assess the effectiveness of the national action plan.
• Luxembourg's first-time participation in the OECD PISA Financial Literacy option in 2029.

Objectives and Broader Context

The primary objective of the plan is twofold: to teach pupils key financial concepts such as inflation, loans, interest, savings, and over-indebtedness, and to help them develop appropriate reflexes for managing simple financial situations in daily life.

This initiative aligns with a growing emphasis on financial education within European policy, notably through the European Financial Competence Framework developed by the European Commission and the OECD. Luxembourg has had a national strategy for financial literacy since 2015, which is being updated to address contemporary financial realities including fintech, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, social impact investing, and cyber fraud. Previous efforts, such as the CSSF's 'lëtzfin' initiative launched in 2019, have laid groundwork for this expanded national strategy.