The course will be available free of charge on the Foundation’s website, Universidad de Padres (Parents’ University), supported by face-to-face activities conducted by volunteers from the bank’s workforce.

The Universidad de Cantabria’s Foundation for the Study and Research of the Financial Sector (UCEIF), sponsored by Santander, will design the content and training materials with the help of the Santander Financial Institute (SANFI).

Madrid, 11 June 2021 - PRESS RELEASE
Banco Santander and Fundación Edelvives have reached an agreement to promote and raise awareness of the importance of financial education in the school environment – students, families and teachers – through the ‘Finance for Mortals’ programme, which the bank has developed since 2012 with SANFI and the UCEIF Foundation.

The content and training materials, specifically designed for the target audience, will be offered through the website of Fundación Edelvives, Universidad de Padres, supported by face-to-face activities conducted by volunteers from Banco Santander’s workforce.

Javier Gallardo, the bank’s regional director in Aragon, Navarre and La Rioja, stated “We are very excited about this new collaboration, which represents a further step in Santander’s commitment to financial inclusion in the framework of its Responsible Banking agenda and its commitment to the UN’s SDGs”. He added that the “Finance for Mortals programme is a clear example of success in this regard, ensuring that those who need it gain a better understanding of the current financial and economic culture, helping them to make the best decisions on how to manage their resources on a day-to-day basis and thus contributing to the security and protection of their finances.”

Mr Javier Cendoya, CEO of Edelvives, explained that “One of the aims of the Fundación Edelvives is to take relevant action to provide the world of education with the materials and resources to respond to economic, technological, scientific and social changes. This agreement with Banco Santander and UCEIF is therefore very important for us and we are pleased to be able to sign this collaboration, thus starting to work as a team to promote financial culture, primarily in the school environment, but also in society in general.”

All the institutions involved in the new collaboration project have expressed their intention to strengthen the values, principles and ethics of markets, addressing the new economy, globalisation and economic developments in a simple, transparent and understandable way and promoting knowledge and the value of ideas in order to stimulate critical thinking and reflection.

Santander has been promoting the ‘Finance for Mortals’ (FxM) initiative for nine years, in collaboration with the University of Cantabria and the Santander Financial Institute, SANFI.

This programme, recognised by the Bank of Spain and the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) as one of the most important financial education programmes in the country and delivered by Santander’s volunteer employees, is aimed primarily at the most financially vulnerable groups, such as children and young people, the elderly, social entrepreneurs and groups at risk of exclusion due to various circumstances.

Santander and its commitment to financial inclusion
Banco Santander maintains a significant commitment to financial inclusion as part of its Responsible Banking agenda. Its aim is to financially empower 10 million people worldwide between 2019 and 2025 through three key lines of action: helping unbanked people to access basic financial services, offering specific and tailored products for those with low income or in economic difficulties and fostering resilience through financial education. Under the latter heading, in 2020 alone, more than 710,000 people benefited from the institution’s financial training programmes worldwide.

Fundación Edelvives
Fundación Edelvives supports its commitment to children and education by opening up channels of collaboration, sponsorship, and agreements with other institutions, promoting awareness-raising campaigns and strengthening the solidarity dimension.