News & Event

The Gulf Forum for Financial Innovation for Public School Students (grades 10-12) concludes. The forum was organized by the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, represented by the Project for Instilling Financial Literacy in School Students (Khazna), under the slogan: "Financial Innovation: An Investment in the Future."

The closing ceremony was patronaged by HE Dr. Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, and attended by a number of Their Excellencies the Undersecretaries, officials from member states of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, and representatives of participating financial and educational institutions.

The final day's program included a presentation of the projects of students who qualified in the Entrepreneurship and Financial Innovation Challenge Competition. Students from all GCC countries participated, showcasing their entrepreneurial ideas, projects, and innovative products in the fields of financial culture and financial innovation. During the ceremony, the results of the student competitions were announced, and the winners and outstanding teams in the three challenge categories were honored in recognition of their efforts and creativity.

The second day of the forum began with the second main dialogue session titled "Financial Innovation and Entrepreneurship for School Students," presented by Basma Al-Nasseri, Yousef Al-Mufarji, and Shamsaa Al-Salami. The session addressed several important topics, focusing on the role of financial innovation in supporting small student investment projects and preparing the school environment to be an incubator for innovation and entrepreneurship. It also reviewed successful models of innovative student entrepreneurship programs, which contribute to developing entrepreneurial thinking among students and encouraging them to transform their ideas into realistic projects with a sustainable impact.

The forum included four training workshops covering various areas of financial innovation and developing students' entrepreneurial skills. Al-Azwar Al-Wahaibi presented the first workshop, titled "Simulating Financial Markets for Students," which covered several key topics, most notably: a simulation of a miniature financial stock exchange; learning about the concepts of investment, risk, and return; investment decision-making; and financial risk analysis.

Rania Al-Khusaibi delivered the second enrichment lecture, titled "Financial Life Skills," which covered key topics, including: financial principles for beginners, income, savings, and debt, and smart money management skills. The third workshop, titled "Small Project Budgeting Skills," was presented by Dr. Adly Qandah and covered several topics, including identifying sources of income and expenditures, determining operating and capital expenditures, anticipating risks, and developing emergency plans.

The sessions concluded with the fourth workshop, titled "Student Investments: Financial Habits That Change Your Life," presented by Professor Khaled Al-Mutham, Dr. Laila Al-Saleem, and Dr. Sanaa Al-Ghamdi. The workshop discussed several important aspects, including preliminary market and competitor research, brand identity design, financial and e-marketing, and a review of successful experiences with innovative student products.