Students elevate financial learning under FFL programme

The Fun(d) for Life (FFL) programme continues its mission of empowering young Malaysians with financial resilience through interactive, student-centred learning. Now in its seventh edition, FFL has transformed how students learn about money through gamification and hands-on activities, reaching more than 123,011 students nationwide since its launch. Today, it stands as one of Malaysia’s most impactful financial literacy initiatives for school-aged learners. 

In conjunction with Financial Literacy Month in October, students across Malaysia participated in school-level projects supported by RM500 micro-grants, where they designed and ran creative, finance-themed initiatives in their own communities. These ranged from organising budgeting carnivals in Sabah and peer-to-peer savings challenges in Kedah to launching awareness campaigns in schools and developing simple tools to help classmates track expenses in Terengganu. From these showcases, 100 outstanding students were selected to form the inaugural FFL Student Council, representing schools nationwide. 

At the four-day FFL 2025 Summit, held at UTM Hotel & Residences in Kuala Lumpur, the Student Council received facilitator training, conducted simulation workshops, and led gamified sessions on budgeting, saving, smart spending, and protection. Through these sessions, the 100 council members directly engaged with 100 fellow students from Klang Valley. Their role reflects an important evolution of the programme, moving from teacher-led lessons to youth-led advocacy, where students take the lead as champions of financial literacy in their schools and communities. 

Students lead financial education efforts

Over the years, Fun(d) for Life has proven that when financial education is engaging and hands-on, young people don’t just learn – they lead. Empowering a Student Council to champion gamified lessons in their own schools marks the next step in building real financial resilience nationwide. The initiative continues to strengthen efforts to nurture confident, capable, and financially-savvy youth who can influence their peers and communities for the long term.

“Fun(d) for Life was designed to make finance feel relevant, practical, and doable,” said Alina Amir, Fun(d) for Life’s Programme Lead. “This year’s Student Council shows what happens when we hand the mic to students: they model positive money habits, teach their peers through interactive sessions, and turn financial literacy into a culture in schools.”

Fun(d) for Life complements Malaysia’s financial literacy agenda under Bank Negara Malaysia, the Ministry of Education, and the Financial Education Network (FEN), contributing to improvements in the Malaysian Financial Literacy and Capability Index, which has risen from 57.1 in 2018 to 59.1 in 2024.¹ This upward trend reflects greater financial awareness nationwide, and FFL strengthens this progress by embedding money management skills early among school-aged learners. 

Fun(d) for Life is supported by FWD Takaful & Arus Academy since 2019. 

Follow the journey and stay updated on next year’s programme highlights at http://www.instagram.com/fundfor.life/.