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New Fintech App Aims To Improve Children’s Financial Literacy
A startup known as Leap has built an app to help kids track where their money is being spent, and to help them save more effectively.
For children and young teens, it can be hard (and not to mention boring!) to get a handle on topics such as budgeting and saving. Money and financial matters aren’t exactly a top priority for youngsters, but they are vital subjects to master in order to be better prepared for adult life.
To that end, UAE-based startup Leap has an ambitious goal of helping young people to make better financial decisions and to improve basic money management skills and literacy. The fintech company has developed an app aimed at young people and their parents, which works to incentivize good budgeting and saving habits.
“Financial literacy is a core life skill that is not readily taught while growing up. Most kids get their first taste of financial responsibility when they go off to college without the oversight and knowledge on managing their money. We’re committed to changing this reality and empowering kids as young as 6 years old to understand, value, and manage their money,” says Ziad Toqan, CEO and Co-founder of Leap.
Parents can transfer a child’s allowance into the app or have funds appear when certain milestones are achieved (such as good school grades). Children using the service will get a prepaid Visa card linked to their Leap account, allowing them to use their balance however they see fit.
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As well as helping to promote better budgeting and sensible spending, the app also diverts unused funds to a savings account at the end of each week, which Leap hopes will encourage kids to spend less and save more.
The app is available on both Apple and Android devices and is suitable for children between 6 and 18 years of age. Leap is currently focused on the UAE, but has plans to expand into Saudi Arabia and Egypt in the future.