Digital Financial Literacy Strategy for Portugal was presented at a conference at the Money Museum

The opening of the conference included contributions from the member of the board of directors of the Banco de Portugal, Francisca Guedes de Oliveira, the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, and the OECD Deputy Secretary General, Fabrizia Lapecorella. These interventions highlighted the importance of the project, which began to be developed in 2021 and now aims to empower the population in the proper use of digital financial services and reduce digital financial exclusion.

Chiara Monticone, senior analyst at the OECD, presented the vision and objectives of the Digital Financial Literacy Strategy for Portugal and identified the action lines foreseen for the next five years.

Thomas Montcourrier, OECD analyst, recalled the main results of the diagnostic study "Digital Financial Literacy in Portugal: Relevance, Evidence and Provision", which served as a basis for the preparation of the Strategy. The study, published on 5 April, included a questionnaire of national partners, an international workshop to discuss the results of the questionnaire and a survey on the digital financial literacy of the Portuguese population. The study revealed the existing gaps in the supply of digital financial training in Portugal and the shortcomings in the digital financial literacy knowledge, behaviours and attitudes of the Portuguese population.

Susana Narciso, head of the market monitoring and financial education division of the Banco de Portugal, described the main steps in preparing the Strategy, which was designed with the technical support of the OECD as part of a project funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument of the European Commission Directorate General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM).

The importance of involving stakeholders in implementing the Strategy was discussed in a panel moderated by the head of the banking conduct supervision department of the Banco de Portugal, Lúcia Leitão. This panel included the Director General of Education, Pedro Cunha, the Secretary General of the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV), Carmen Rasquete, the Chairman of the Portuguese Banking Association (APB), Vítor Bento, the President of the Norte Portugal Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-NORTE), António Cunha, the Regional Director of Citizenship and Social Affairs of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Maria da Graça Moniz, and the Director of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto, Óscar Afonso. These entities explained how they can contribute to achieving the goals defined for their target audiences, such as young people, working-age adults, senior citizens and other vulnerable groups.

You can consult the conference programme here.

The recording of the conference is available here.