The Education Ministry is adding financial literacy to the Grade11 curriculum, with top-performing students given access to simulated EGX trading and a deferred EGP 500 portfolio that activates only after graduation. The Madbouly government’s choice to make the announcement at EGX headquarters rather than the Education Ministry sent a clear sign that this push doubles as a play to develop capital markets involvement from younger generations — even if the live-trading part is years away.

Simulation, not live trading — for now. “Students will not actually trade on the EGX while still in school,” assistant to the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) chairman Mohamed Abdel Aziz tells EnterpriseAM, clarifying how the program will work in practice. The setup has four guardrails:

  • Demo trading only: Students will use simulation apps to apply what they have learned in theory and won't enter the market at this stage. Simulation tools are already available and widely used, according to the official, who added that the FRA's role will be to identify the most suitable models for student training;
  • Top performers only: The simulation program will not be available to all students, but only to those who demonstrate competence and strong performance in the theoretical material being added to the curriculum;
  • Funded portfolios come later: Students won't be exposed to any risk during training. The funded portfolios will only become available for real trading after reaching the ageof 15 and graduating high school, when they can trade on the EGX under special conditions — including a portfolio cap of EGP 40,000 and a restriction to buying and selling only, with no margin trading or securities borrowing;
  • Roles are split: The FRA designed the core theoretical curriculum, while the Education Ministry will teach it to students.

The government is rolling out a model built around practice and real-world participation. “Financial literacy will be taught as an interactive activity on the programming and AI platform — not as a pass-fail subject in the traditional sense,” Education Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif said during the press event. Successful students will be officially registered on the EGX, he said, with the EGP 500 portfolio opened in each student's name for activation after graduation.

A structural shift: The Education Ministry is moving “from teaching students about the economy to letting them learn inside the economy itself,” Abdel Latif added. Understanding how value is created cannot come from memorization alone, but through “decision making, risk taking, and a sense of responsibility,” he said.

From a financial services standpoint, this program comes as a response to a demographic shift in our capital markets — one accelerated by the rise of fintech. Figures from FRA chairman Islam Azzam point to a clear surge in youth participation: investors aged 18-40 have recently risen to around 79% of EGX investors, while young investors account for roughly 80% of those interested in newer products such as gold funds. This level of appetite makes investor education more necessary, helping younger market participants make more informed decisions and reduce potential risks.

The aim is not just to bring more people into the market, but to “prepare an informed investor who makes decisions based on knowledge,” EGX chairman Omar Radwan said at the event. The number of new investors on the EGX climbed 215% in 1Q 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier — with the exchange attracting around 160k new investors in the quarter, Radwan noted.

With backing from Japan: The ceremony saw Abdel Latif sign an MoU with Hiroshima University President Mitsuo Ochi and Japanese edtech firm Sprix Education Foundation chairman Hiroyuki Tsuneshi. The MoU will introduce the Test of Fundamental Academic Skills for financial literacy (TOFAS) — an international assessment framework to measure outcomes. Under the framework:

  • The Education Ministry will implement TOFAS within the national education system and provide the required coordination and institutional support;
  • Sprix will provide the digital platforms and assessment tools, as well as training programs for teachers and school principals on how to use the system;
  • Hiroshima University, as the academic partner, will review the scientific foundations of the test and ensure its quality and alignment with standards. The university will also issue accredited certificates to students under the ministry’s supervision.

Plugging into broader economic policy: “Embedding financial literacy into the school system should help accelerate Egypt Vision 2030 targets,” Planning Minister Ahmed Rostom said. Egypt has already made strides on human development and financial inclusion, approaching 80%. He also pointed to the expansion of financial inclusion services in coordination with the CBE, with some 2.6 mn new bank accounts, prepaid cards, and e-wallets in villages covered by the first phase of the Hayah Karima initiative — helping lift Egypt's financial inclusion rate by 21 percentage points to 76% of the population aged 15 and above.

An expansion beyond high school: The FRA is working with the Education Ministry to bring students into the financial sector through the I Invest initiative, Abdel Aziz said during a meeting between the FRA chair and the Higher Education Minister in late April. The initiative introduces financial skills gradually based on age group and education level, relying on financial balances provided by supporting entities so students can practice simulated trading — while temporarily barring them from using the funds.

The cost of poor financial literacy: Differences in financial literacy account for 30-40% of wealth gaps between individuals, Abdel Aziz added. The FRA has been working with various government bodies to spread financial literacy, through a 2022- protocol with the Higher Education Ministry that has seen 12k university students participate and 66 certified financial awareness trainers graduate.

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