- Santander’s new global report on financial education, ‘The Currency of Learning: Global Perspectives on Financial Education’, finds that few Americans are receiving formal financial education in schools and are looking to banks for help.
- Across the globe, only 20% of respondents say they have ever taken a course in financial education.
- In the United States, Santander US has been working to strengthen financial health by mobilizing employees through more than 10,000 hours of volunteering, supporting community-based organizations advancing financial literacy, and offering accessible online financial education.
Santander’s new global report on financial education, ‘The Currency of Learning: Global Perspectives on Financial Education’, finds that consumers across the globe recognize that financial education leads to better financial outcomes. According to the report, in the United States, 64% of U.S. consumers said financial education leads to better financial decision making and 59% indicated that it leads to more effective management of money.
Americans rank financial education second – next to math – in importance among core school subjects, yet only 36% recall receiving it at school. Globally, only 20% of consumers report taking any course in financial education. To help fill the void, consumers are turning to banks. More than four in five U.S. consumers (81%) believe it’s important that their bank provides financial education.
“At Santander, we know that financial education is foundational to helping people and communities prosper. The Currency of Learning report reinforces what we see every day – that education leads to better outcomes. Our role extends beyond providing banking products and services. It’s about making sure people have the knowledge and tools they need to make informed financial decisions.”
Christiana Riley
CEO and President of Santander US
In 2024, Banco Santander reinforced its long-standing commitment to financial education, a key element of its approach to promoting financial wellbeing. Since 2012, the bank has developed programs to help people manage their finances, understand risks such as fraud, and build financial resilience. These initiatives, adapted to local needs across all core markets and aligned with the OECD International Network on Financial Education principles, focus on groups such as young people, entrepreneurs, seniors, and those in vulnerable situations. Last year alone, more than four million people worldwide took part in Santander’s financial education activities and content.
Santander US continues to build on this commitment in the United States through the collective efforts of its employees, digital tools, and community partnerships that expand access to financial education and empower people to build confidence and make informed financial decisions.
Employee Engagement
Santander mobilizes its workforce and resources to deliver tools and content that help customers and communities maintain a clear path to financial empowerment. Through a curated library of workshops and training, and in collaboration with a network of nonprofit partners, Santander volunteers help individuals strengthen their financial foundations. Full-time employees receive up to 16 hours of paid volunteer time each year to deliver financial education workshops and support local programming, contributing more than 10,000 hours annually.
Digital Financial Education
With Americans increasingly turning to digital channels to manage their money, Santander is helping bridge the gap between financial confidence and financial understanding through accessible, digital tools and platforms. Santander’s Financial Education Center and partnership with EverFi provide online learning and gamified programs that equip students and adults with essential financial skills, while Openbank offers a competitive high-yield savings product and an intuitive digital experience that simplifies managing and growing money.
This aligns with The Currency of Learning findings showing that investing (62%) and saving (53%) are the top areas Americans want to learn more about – and that saving for travel is among their leading financial ambitions. In Openbank’s flagship Miami location and in branches across Santander’s retail network, employees provide in-person support and programming to help customers navigate digital tools and strengthen financial confidence.
Community Partnerships
Santander leverages a network of charitable and nonprofit partners to expand access to financial education and resources across the communities it serves. Through its collaboration with Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners, Santander supports ‘TrustPlus,’ a virtual one-on-one coaching program that helps workers reduce debt, improve credit, and reach their financial goals. With Operation HOPE, Santander advances the organization’s mission of economic opportunity by supporting initiatives such as Financial Literacy for All, The 1865 Project, and HOPE Inside, which provide credit management, financial counseling, and pathways to prosperity.
Santander also works with local municipalities to expand financial access, including participation in The Department of Youth & Community Development’s Summer Youth Employment Program across multiple cities and support for New York City’s ‘In School Banking Pilot.’ Through this initiative, Santander partners with public schools to offer youth-friendly bank accounts, financial education, and digital tools that promote lifelong financial skills.
For the full report, visit: www.santander.com/en/press-room/the-currency-of-learning.
Methodology
For Santander, Ipsos interviewed representative quota samples of adults in ten markets using its online i:omnibus and ad hoc services: 2,139 aged 16-75 in the UK, 2,099 aged 18-75 in the US, 1,970 aged 16-65 in Portugal, 2,001 aged 18-65 in Chile, 2,002 aged 18-65 in Argentina, 1,454 aged 18-55 in Uruguay, 2,022 aged 18-65 in Mexico, 2,028 aged 18-65 in Brazil, 2,118 aged 16-75 in Spain, and 2,073 aged 16-75 in Poland.
Fieldwork took place between April 25 and May 21, 2025. The samples obtained are representative of the national populations with quotas on age, gender, region and working status. The data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions in each market for age, working status and social grade within gender, and for government office region and education, to reflect the adult populations of each market in which the research was conducted.