The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and BDO Foundation have partnered to develop a nine-module interactive financial education (FinEd) online course, eyed to be available on mobile devices in early 2024.

The BSP said Thursday it has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with BDO Foundation for the development within this year of a free online personal finance course eyed to increase the financial literacy of Filipinos.

“This project is in line with the central bank’s thrust to promote broad, convenient, and informed access to high-quality financial services among our kababayans (fellow Filipinos). We welcome such collaborations that allow us to reach and serve more Filipinos,” BSP Governor Felipe Medalla said.

Relatively, BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito said the online learning course aims “to enhance the financial literacy and financial health of our partners, stakeholders, beneficiaries, and the public.”

“Through borderless learning, we will make FinEd on-demand and accessible to everyone – whether you are in Luzon, Visayas, (and) Mindanao, or even abroad. We are excited to see the impact of this project on the lives of many Filipinos,” he said.

The BSP said the FinEd e-Learning Course would include such topics as financial planning, saving and budgeting, debt and investment management, digital financial literacy, fraud, and scam prevention, the Personal Equity and Retirement Account (PERA), and financial consumer protection.

It said the course aims to “expand the coverage and accelerate the implementation of FinEd programs in the country through free learning and teaching activities that can be accessed anytime, anywhere.”

“The ultimate goal of the initiative is to help cultivate a financially healthy and economically empowered Filipino citizenry that can actively contribute to nation-building,” it said.

The BSP said the modules would be uploaded to e-learning platforms of the central bank and its FinEd partners.” (PNA)