The Croatian National Bank held the 9th Great Student Debate with the Croatian Debate Society, focusing on whether financial influencers can help young people address financial issues as part of its World Money Week activities. The discussion concluded with a majority of participating students agreeing that finfluencer content should not be used for financial decision-making. More than 190 students and teachers from 18 schools took part, with remarks from CNB Governor Boris Vujcic and Vicegovernor Bojan Fras, and contributions from maths teacher and financial vlogger Toni Milun. Debaters argued, on the one hand, that expert-led finfluencing can present financial topics effectively across platforms and, on the other, that financial decisions are too serious to rely on content whose truthfulness and impartiality are hard to verify. Audience polling shifted from 74% initially agreeing finfluencer content could help make financial decisions to 66% concluding it should not be used, with many participants stressing online information should be complemented by discussions with family and experts and calling for financial literacy to be included in the school curriculum.
Croatian National Bank 2025-03-20
Croatian National Bank hosts student debate on finfluencers as audience shifts against using online content for financial decisions
The Croatian National Bank hosted the 9th Great Student Debate with the Croatian Debate Society, discussing the role of financial influencers in aiding young people's financial decisions. The debate concluded with a majority of students agreeing that finfluencer content should not be used for financial decision-making, emphasizing the need for expert consultation and financial literacy in education.