Global Money Week (GMW), a CYFI initiative, is an annual money awareness campaign built to inspire children and young people to learn about money matters, livelihoods and entrepreneurship.
The event started as a Child Finance Day & Week in 2012 with 21 countries. Later it was renamed to Global Money Week and it has since grown significantly. GMW was celebrated in 137 countries worldwide in its most recent edition in 2017.
GMW is organised in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and African Union Commission. Also, GMW is supported and endorsed by UNICEF, Mastercard, European Union and many others.
Global Money Week is important, because children and youth are the focus of change. They are tomorrow’s business leaders, politicians, parents, teachers. They can unlock their potential when they believe in themselves. They can change lives, their own and others’, when they have the right financial tools. They can learn about money matters and resources. They can learn how to earn a livelihood and gain employment, but most of all, Global Money Week provides children and youth with a voice: a voice that can help reshape the future of finance.
Numerous events and activities take place during GMW, e.g. visits to parliaments, stock exchanges, money museums, banks and other financial institutions and many more activities.
GMW2017 reached over 7.8 million children and youth through more than 72,000 activities coordinated by 23,700 organizations in 137 countries.
This year’s 7th edition of Global Money Week will take place from 12 – 18 March 2018 under the theme of ‘Money Matters Matter.’
Stock exchanges are an important part of Global Money Week
NASDAQ was one of the very first stock exchanges that welcomed Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI) to ring the opening bell to mark the closing of the International Child and Youth Finance week in 2012. The next year, a special Global Money Week celebration took place at the NASDAQ opening bell ceremony on 18 March. Jeroo Billimoria, Founder of Child & Youth Finance International, and Mr. Marc Bichler, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) rang the bell to mark the opening of GMW 2013. Others that joined the bell ringing ceremony were BRAC, McGraw-Hill, UN Global Compact and Plan International.
Not only NASDAQ, but many other stock exchanges worldwide have participated in Global Money Week: Bolsa de Comercio de Buenos Aires, NASDAQ Armenia, Dhaka Stock Exchange, Egyptian Exchange, NASDAQ OMX Tallinn, NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Stock Exchange, Deutsche Börse, NASDAQ OMX Iceland, Irish Stock Exchange, Kazakhstan Stock Exchange, NASDAQ Riga, NASDAQ Vilnius, Bourse de Casablanca, Euronext Amsterdam, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oslo Stock Exchange, Bolsa de Valores Lima, Saudi Stock Exchange, NASDAQ OMX Stockholm Stock Exchange, Stock Exchange of Thailand, Borsa Istanbul, and so many more. During last year’s edition of Global Money Week 57 stock exchanges welcomed students.
Because of the interest from stock exchanges, a new event was initiated called ‘Ring Around the World’, where stock exchanges invite children and youth to ring the opening or closing bell at the stock exchange. This continues to be a valuable opportunity for children and youth to learn more about money matters, the history of money, currencies and gain a better understanding of the work of stock exchanges around the world.
