SEC launches new educational platform to promote financial literacy

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) introduced a more accessible and user-friendly educational platform to help guide Filipinos in their financial journey, as it pushed to include financial literacy in the basic education curriculum.

The Commission launched the revamped SEC Academy during an event attended by students and young professionals, among others, on November 12 at The SEC Headquarters in Makati City.

The SEC Academy, which may be accessed on academy.sec.gov.ph, provides free and easy access to online courses designed to equip users with the knowledge necessary to effectively manage their personal finances, jumpstart their businesses, invest their hard-earned money wisely, and spot and avoid investment scams and other predatory schemes. Policymakers and practitioners at the Commission and other government agencies, as well as industry experts and leaders, deliver the online courses themselves.

The launch of the revamped SEC Academy marks the start of IPW 2025. This year’s celebration is spearheaded by the SEC under the theme, “InvestED Tayo sa Kinabukasang Sigurado,” a wordplay on the words invested and investor education highlighting the important role of financial literacy in securing the financial future of Filipinos.

“Our theme, ‘Invested Tayo sa Kinabukasang Sigurado,’ reminds us that true security is built over time, with awareness, discipline, and integrity. Tayong mga Pilipino, we’re naturally invested people—sa pamilya, sa pangarap, sa kinabukasan. Now, we must also invest in knowledge—dahil ‘yan lang ang investment na hindi mananakaw sa atin,” SEC Chairperson Francis Lim said in his opening remarks.

“That is why we are also relaunching the SEC Academy, a free online learning hub where anyone—from students to retirees—can learn about saving, budgeting, and investing responsibly. Because financial education should not be for the few, but for everyone who dreams of a better life,” he added.

The opening program for IPW 2025 also featured discussions aimed at helping the public make wise financial decisions, and avoid falling prey to illegal and abusive lending and financing firms.

In a discussion moderated by financial journalist Salve Ibañez, Chairperson Lim and content creator Jax Reyes shared insights on how the public could navigate their financial journey, tackling topics on saving, investing, and detecting investment scams and other schemes.

In a separate interactive session, Ms. Ibañez, who is also the founder of Empower and Transform—a company focused on revolutionizing the financial landscape by providing accessible financial education and advisory services for Filipinos at all income levels—highlighted the importance of responsible borrowing and effective management of personal finances.

Ms. Ibañez was later joined by SEC Financing and Lending Companies Department Director Sheara Lupang-Tamayo; Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Consumer Protection and Market Conduct Office Director Rochelle D. Tomas; PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group General Cybercrime Section - Cyber Response Unit Chief Police Major Sonny B. Galicia; and FUSE Financing, Inc. President and CEO Tony Isidro for a panel discussion.

The SEC Headquarters, along with the Commission’s extension offices nationwide, have lined up more activities for IPW 2025 to educate the public on the state of the Philippine economy, guide the public in their investment journey, and raise their awareness of investment scams.

Financial literacy as core subject

To reinforce investor protection and to empower Filipinos to make informed financial decisions, the SEC is closely coordinating with Congress to include financial literacy as a core and mandatory subject in the high school curriculum.

Previously, the Commission has supported the enactment of House Bill No. 686 filed in the 19th Congress, which integrates investor education with the enhanced basic education program provided under Republic Act No. 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act.

“We see too many lives destroyed by scams promising ‘easy money.’ These are not just financial losses; they are losses of trust. And trust, as we always say, is the invisible currency of our markets,” said Chairperson Lim, who has also pushed for the bill’s enactment since his stint as president of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines.

“That is why we are taking investor protection to the next level. We are working with Congress on a special SEC initiative to make financial literacy a core and mandatory subject in every high school because a financially literate Filipino is a protected investor. This reform will be one of our most enduring contributions to nation-building—a long-term shield against fraud and a foundation for a stronger economy.”

Financial literacy remains low among Filipinos, with only two percent of Filipinos able to correctly answer six basic financial literacy questions, according to the 2023 Financial Inclusion Survey by the BSP.

Meanwhile, threats of digital fraud remain, with the suspected digital fraud rate of transactions in the Philippines reaching 13.4 percent in 2024, the second highest among markets analyzed, according to the April 2025 property insights from TransUnion’s global intelligence network.

In 2021, investment scams cost the Philippines around P25 billion in losses, with one in every 100 Filipinos falling prey to fraudsters, according to the BSP.

“Let us move forward as one community—regulators, educators, and citizens—committed to making financial literacy part of our national culture,” Chairperson Lim said.
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“At the SEC, we will continue to serve with integrity, urgency, and purpose—so that the market can trust, investors can thrive, and our nation can grow,” he added.