Financial Education and Equal Opportunities

This paper aims at discussing how financial education can contribute to equality of opportunity by
improving financial – as well as social and even digital – inclusion. Ad hoc programs have been
gaining momentum within the framework of sustainable development: despite some criticism, the
need to fight financial exclusion is widely felt and unquestionable support stems from the 2030
Agenda that dates back to 2015. Its set of strategic goals acts as a stimulus to emphasize the role of
new methodologies – such as those pertaining to e-teaching and e-learning – and to disseminate best
practices that may help to promote equal opportunities in terms of access to appropriate financial
services; more recently, the importance of universalizing financial inclusion has been highlighted by
the global spread of covid-19 that has affected the financial system, as well as the economic,
professional and social environments. Conclusions draw upon the challenges ahead, that are worth
meeting to the benefit not only of the targeted groups – including the unbanked and underbanked –
but also of society as a whole.