Economic literacy

Economic and financial literacy is a fundamental life skill for navigating today’s complex world. With Iconomix, the Swiss National Bank is helping to develop this competence in schools.

The focus of Iconomix is on economics and personal finance, with a special emphasis on current issues and challenges for society.

Iconomix offers materials and interactive tools to illustrate complex economic concepts. Students learn how the economy works and develop their economic thinking.

When it comes to personal finance, Iconomix provides accessible instructions and resources to help students gain a solid grasp of the basics and learn how to manage money.

Discover the Iconomix units

What are the content guidelines of Iconomix?

Iconomix develops educational content on the basis of up-to-date, scientifically proven facts. We are guided by clear values and the current scientific consensus in economics.

We are open to new trends and findings, including them in the teaching units (our core product) as well as under Tools & Links, where we refer to practical resources from third parties. With our News section, we also provide supplementary content on economics and education.

How does Iconomix facilitate access to economic education?

Iconomix offers two ways to build competence – the real-life approach is dedicated to economic situations in young people’s everyday lives, while the science-based approach is orientated towards models, methods and ways of thinking in economics.

The combination of these two perspectives makes it possible to target learners in a differentiated manner according to curriculum, prior knowledge and abilities in order to achieve optimal learning success.

How does Iconomix define personal finance?

The OECD, an international organisation headquartered in Paris, defines financial literacy as “a combination of financial awareness, knowledge, skill, attitude and behaviour necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve individual financial well-being”. Iconomix follows this definition.

Real-world examples of financial literacy include:

  • Being able to create a monthly budget and stick to it.
  • Understanding concepts such as compound interest, inflation and risk diversification.
  • Being willing to look for information and advice, and having the self-confidence to do so.

Our understanding of personal finance as part of economic education is holistic and competence-oriented. In addition to acquiring knowledge, it is also about being able to apply this knowledge in everyday situations.