Lectures continue in schools as part of CYSEC's participation in World Investor Week 2024

The Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) said it considers its participation in this year's World Investor Week 2024, organised by the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), to be a complete success.

The Commission designed all its activities around two important thematic areas:

• The risks to investors lurking online and on social media due to the activities of so-called “finfluencers.”
• Supporting parents and carers in their role in the financial education of children.

CySEC issued two comprehensive educational guides for these specific topics, containing valuable information, warnings, and suggestions for educational activities. The positive evaluation from IOSCO for the two guides, which posted them on its website for WIW 2024, has been greatly appreciated by CySEC.

The Commission aims for these guides to reach all students and parents through schools and Parent Associations and has already distributed them to staff and other collaborating entities. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth, and Parent Associations, CySEC officials are continuing a programme of lectures in schools across all districts, aiming to educate children and parents on the importance of financial literacy. A lecture is also planned by Dr George Theocharides, Chairman of CySEC, at a university.

During Investor Week, the Chairman and officials of CySEC conducted interviews and participated in television programmes and podcasts, highlighting the need for enhanced financial education for children and protecting investors from online risks. Printed and online media outlets were also utilized for publishing the two Guides, as well as announcements, articles, and other informative and educational materials.

Significant attention was given to promoting the campaign's messages on CySEC's accounts on social media, a familiar space for younger individuals. All actions carried out during the week and all messages from the campaign, which were compiled in the useful Smart Investor Booklet published by the Commission, were promoted through its social media channels. Specifically, there were 54 posts on X (formerly Twitter), 56 on Facebook, 52 on LinkedIn, and 44 posts on Instagram.

Dr Theocharides, congratulated the team responsible for designing and implementing the campaign's actions. "I thank the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth, the Confederation, and Federations of Parent Associations for their cooperation and interest in the financial education of children. Our firm position is that financial education should start very early and continue throughout an individual's life. As market conditions constantly change, the rapid advancement of technology brings not only positives but also risks that everyone must be aware of to protect themselves."

Officer A’ of CySEC, responsible for the public’s Financial Education, Ms. Elena Karkoti, said that the lectures being planned in schools in collaboration with the Federations of Parent Associations will continue until the end of November. She added “We are very pleased with the interest shown by both schools and Parent Associations. Most importantly, we are excited about the response from the children themselves. The thematic areas we set for World Investor Week were praised as interesting and important by the audiences involved this year. We are particularly satisfied of IOSCO's initiative to prominently feature a link to the two Guides we published on the WIW 2024 website. We believe this is a significant recognition of the work we are doing for the financial education of the public."

Public financial education and investor protection are strategic priorities for CySEC, which implements actions and organises or participates in related campaigns throughout the year. On its official website, it maintains a Financial Education Portal (https://www.cysec.gov.cy/en-GB/investor-protection/financial-education/) that is constantly enriched with educational material, that is written in clear and understandable language. These include investor guides, articles, handy and practical tips, warnings, quizzes and manuals.