Financial Literacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Conference at the University of Sarajevo Marking Financial Literacy Month

The Conference on Financial Literacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized to mark Financial Literacy Month at the University of Sarajevo, was held on 6 May 2025, in the UNSA Rectorate’s Ceremonial Hall. The event was organized to promote the importance of financial and entrepreneurial education among students through the exchange of knowledge and experiences with researchers, representatives of the private sector, and institutions involved in education, entrepreneurial support, and the development of citizens' financial competencies.

The conference was opened with introductory addresses by Prof. Dr. Tarik Zaimović, Rector; Prof. Dr. Darja Softić Kadenić, Minister of Justice and Administration of the Canton Sarajevo; and Mr. Hasan Hasić, Member of the Management Board of ASA Bank.

In the introductory session, project leader Prof. Dr. Azra Zaimović, a professor at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Sarajevo, presented the results of the university's scientific research project “Financial Literacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” focusing on two studies prepared by the research team according to the latest OECD/INFE methodology for assessing financial literacy (OECD, 2022):

UNSA 2022 Survey on Financial Literacy of the Adult Population in Bosnia and Herzegovina
UNSA 2023 Survey on Financial Literacy of MSME Managers in Canton Sarajevo
Through panel discussions and three practical workshops, students had the opportunity to hear experiences and receive advice that will help them develop their entrepreneurial and financial competencies. Although young people increasingly demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit, access to capital, mentorship, and information remains limited. To inspire students to think entrepreneurially, the panel on startup financing discussed how to attract the first investor, available financing options and support for young entrepreneurs in BiH, factors for startup success, and similar topics.

The workshops aimed to empower students to use debit and credit cards wisely, manage their budgets, understand the tax treatment of freelancing and various student engagements, ensuring their activities are legal, and recognize the dangers of scams when using financial technologies daily.

The conference was organized by the project “Financial Literacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” implemented at the University of Sarajevo – Center for Research and Development.

The project was co-financed by the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Youth of Canton Sarajevo, based on the public call for co-financing scientific research projects in 2022.

The sponsor of the conference is ASA Bank d.d. Sarajevo.

The studies—UNSA 2022 Survey on Financial Literacy of the Adult Population in Bosnia and Herzegovina and UNSA 2023 Survey on Financial Literacy of MSME Managers in Canton Sarajevo—are available for download on the project website: http://finedu.unsa.ba, where you can find more details about the project.