The competition was organized by the Institute of Financial Literacy under the auspices of the Bank of Greece and the Department of Business Administration of the University of Piraeus. Its goal was to revive the school day dedicated to savings and to provide students with a creative platform for expression and reflection on issues related to saving and financial education.
The Rector of the University of Piraeus addressed the attendees, warmly congratulating the students who excelled. He emphasized that financial education is not just a skill — it is a way of life. As Aristotle taught, virtue is the result of action and repeated behavior that eventually becomes habit. In this sense, saving is not a random act, but an acquired behavior that becomes a lifestyle. It involves not only money but also resources such as time and energy. Financial education in general enhances critical skills such as sound decision-making, collaboration, and critical thinking, while also familiarizing students with the responsible use of digital tools and applications in the modern era.
Also delivering greetings were:
• Professor Nikolaos Georgopoulos, Dean of the School of Economics, Business, and International Studies at the University of Piraeus,
• Professor Dimitrios Georgakellos, Chair of the Department of Business Organization
• Dr. Christos Nounis, BoD Chairman at Hellenic Union of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision (ELETEA) and President of the Occupational Pension Fund of the Ministry of Finance (TEA-YPOIK),
• Professor Nikolaos Philippas, President and Founder of the Institute of Financial Literacy and Professor of Finance at the University of Piraeus.
Mr. Iakovos Giannaklis, Deputy CEO and Head of Retail & Digital Banking at Eurobank, delivered a brief speech on the importance of saving as an essential act for the future of youth and the country in general. The ceremony was coordinated by Dr. Argyro Katopodi of the University of Piraeus.
During the ceremony, Eurobank awarded a monetary prize of €1,000 to the top 10 students from across Greece in recognition of their excellence and effort. Additionally, the Hellenic Association of Occupational Pension Funds (HAOPF) offered gifts to four students whose essays were the most original and aesthetically pleasing.
Professor of Finance at the University of Piraeus, Nikolaos Philippas, founded in 2016 the Hellenic Financial Literacy Institute (HFLI), the first non-profit organization in Greece with the mission of disseminating financial knowledge and combating financial illiteracy. This initiative forms part of the broader mission of the Institute of Financial Literacy to promote responsible economic behavior among youth from an early age by introducing students to the basic principles of financial management. Emphasis was placed on the concept of saving, delayed gratification, prioritization of needs and expenses, as well as goal-setting and achieving financial objectives.
The high participation (eighty schools and over a thousand students) and the high quality of the submissions demonstrated that students respond with enthusiasm and maturity to initiatives that strengthen their financial literacy — a vital life skill for the 21st century. The Institute pledged to continue initiatives that bring financial education to the forefront, starting as early as primary education.