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Mexico: Building on Progress to Achieve Long-Term Results

Mexico City – 10 September 2013

Mexico’s rapid economic development has led to significant international investment and the potential for further growth. In this environment, it is important for people to have the necessary skills and awareness to wisely manage their finances, build for the future, and withstand economic shock, the temptations of over-spending and consumer debt, the lure of complex financial products, and other risks. At the same time, there are still sizeable rural and urban communities that remain disadvantaged and excluded from the financial system. Financial education is essential not just to protect consumers, but also to boost financial inclusion for the most vulnerable in society.

Mexico’s national financial education efforts have intensified in recent years. But much remains to be done to establish financial literacy as a life skill -- taught from a young age and expanded successfully across urban and rural society to adult groups at different life cycles and income levels. 

What is the best way to provide this form of education? Which policies and channels are most productive? What types of partnerships are needed between the public sector, private financial institutions, academia and civil society to help financial education programmes achieve their desired outcome? How can initiatives be evaluated to ensure they produce positive behavioural change?

Visa and the Financial Times will gather policy-makers, educators, financial service providers and other experts and thought leaders for an exclusive breakfast forum to discuss how to optimise the provision of financial education in Mexico -- the foundations that should be in place, and the steps that should be taken to maximise reach and impact.

This invitation-only event -- chaired by a senior Financial Times correspondent and featuring a keynote address by a high-level representative of the Ministry of Finance -- is the third in this year’s series of high-level Visa-FT Financial Literacy Forums.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural programme, the first two forums of 2013 were held in Brazil and Morocco, with a further event planned in China in September, leading up to the 10th Citi-FT Financial Education Summit, the most established annual international conference on financial capability, co-sponsored by Visa and taking place this year in Hong Kong in December.