Launch of Global Money Week 2026 with Bank of Greece as national coordinator
16/03/2026 - Press Releases
- A larger number of organisations participate in this year’s Global Money Week, a financial education initiative coordinated nationally by the Bank of Greece.
- This year, the Bank of Greece focuses its financial education activities on efforts to reduce the gender gap in financial literacy.
- The Bank of Greece launches a new social media campaign targeting women’s empowerment in terms of saving and investment. The Museum of the Bank of Greece presents its new educational programme, which seeks to foster critical thinking about money.
Global Money Week (GMW), an annual global awareness-raising campaign on financial education for children and young people, led by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), opens this year on 16 March and runs until 22 March 2026. Since 2022, the Bank of Greece has been the national coordinator of the initiative.
In the context of GMW 2026, the Communications Unit of the Bank of Greece is about to launch a social media campaign, targeting mainly young women, by presenting a short original video aimed at women’s empowerment in terms of saving and investment. The campaign will be supported by relevant information material.
At the same time, between 17 and 20 March 2026, a new educational programme of the Bank of Greece Museum, designed as part of the theme Smart Money Talks and based on the content of the current temporary exhibition “Personal Finance”, comes to highlight in an experiential and particularly entertaining way the circular relationship between the three fundamental components of our financial well-being: savings, investment, and economic growth. This pedagogical activity is titled “Smart Money Talks: Ask, Learn, Prosper”.
Alongside its own communication actions, the Bank of Greece, as national coordinator of the GMW, informs financial education stakeholders about this initiative and encourages economic agents and organisations to join in the broader effort to promote financial education with the ultimate objective of achieving financial well-being for the citizens and financial stability.
Global Money Week 2026: “Smart Money Talks”
Since November 2022, the Bank of Greece has been the national coordinator of Global Money Week (GMW), OECD’s global awareness-raising campaign on financial education for children and young people.
The theme of this year’s GMW, which takes place from 16 to 22 March 2026, is “Smart Money Talks”. Young people’s financial lives are full of decisions, from earning their first money to managing student loans, from understanding investments to watching out for scams and tracking their spending, while maintaining relations with friends. Personal finance can seem daunting, stressful, or even taboo – many young people may not feel comfortable to ask questions about money, don’t know who to turn to in order to talk about money, or are afraid to share their financial problems. By talking openly, sharing stories, and asking the right people, young people can gain the confidence and skills they need to manage money wisely. Financial education provides the tools – from budgetary fundamentals to navigating digital financial services – to start discussions that can prevent stress and mistakes. Financial education can empower young people to develop sounder financial habits, avoid pitfalls, and take control of their path to financial well-being.
The organisations that have registered to participate in GMW2026 and carry out similar actions have increased in number this year, and are the following (in alphabetical order):
- ActionAid, https://actionaid.gr/en
- Alpha Bank, https://www.alpha.gr/en/
- Bodossaki Foundation, https://www.bodossaki.gr/en/
- DoValue, https://dovaluegreece.gr/en
- ERGO.Academy, https://en.ergo.academy/
- Get Involved, https://getinvolved.gr/en/conference-main-page/
- Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies, https://www.eaee.gr/en/
- Hellenic Bank Association, https://www.hba.gr/En
- Hellenic Capital Market Commission, http://www.hcmc.gr/en_US/web/portal/home
- Hellenic Financial Literacy Institute, https://www.gfli.gr/en/
- Hellenic Loan Servicers Association (HLSA), https://eedadp.com/en
- National Bank of Greece, https://www.nbg.gr/en/individuals
- Union for Working Consumers of Greece (ΕΕΚΕ), https://eeke.gr/en
The Bank of Greece confronts the gender gap in financial literacy
The participation of the Bank of Greece in this year’s initiative focuses on the importance of reducing the gender gap in financial literacy. This is the second major international initiative taken by the Bank of Greece this year to reduce the gender gap in financial literacy. A similar initiative was announced a few days ago in the context of the Eurosystem, with Bank of Greece Governor Yannis Stournaras taking part in the central event of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt alongside President Christine Lagarde.
The Governor of the Bank of Greece cited three reasons why we should try to reduce the gender gap in financial literacy:
“The first one has to do with cultural advancement. A famous Greek historian, Hélène Glykatzi-Ahrweiler, who passed away a few days ago, had said something very telling: 'A woman’s place in society marks the level of civilisation'. So, first of all, it is a matter of cultural advancement.
The second reason is a question of fairness and equality. To a large extent, the gap is due to the so-called motherhood penalty, i.e. the economic and professional consequences, as well as the discrimination that women face in the workplace because of motherhood. We must strive to reduce it.
And finally, it is a matter of efficiency. Biological studies show that talents are distributed equally among boys and girls, women and men. Therefore, accepting a gender gap is a waste of resources.”
What is the Global Money Week?
The global awareness-raising campaign of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Money Week highlights the importance of ensuring that young people, from an early age, are financially aware, and are gradually acquiring the knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to make sound financial decisions. Launched in 2012, GMW has been held every March and has reached more than 60 million children and young people in 176 countries worldwide.
Related links:
- Video (in Greek) on women’s empowerment: “Take control of your finances. Your future will be grateful to you”.
- A video with Governor Yannis Stournaras talking about the gender gap in financial literacy in Europe.
- See the actions of the Bank of Greece Museum for GMW2026
- Bank of Greece - Synergies
- Find out more about the Global Money Week