Financial Literacy Month: CIRANO contributes to financial education

November is Financial Literacy Month. To mark the occasion, CIRANO is highlighting its economic and financial education initiatives, notably Bourstad and FinÉcoLab, developed with the support of the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF).

FinÉcoLab is a free kit of 18 online educational games developed by CIRANO to make learning about economics and finance more hands-on and interactive. Bourstad is a stock market simulation that allows participants to learn about financial markets by managing a virtual portfolio of $200,000. In 2026, Bourstad reached nearly 12,000 young people through its competitions and private simulations.

Thanks to this partnership, these two CIRANO initiatives have become Quebec benchmarks in economic and financial literacy, reaching thousands of young people, teachers, and citizens across the province.

CIRANO also contributes to the Quebec Financial Education Strategy (QFES) by applying its scientific expertise to the development of tools.

CIRANO also contributed to a recent guide to help students navigate the world of personal finance, created in collaboration with Polyfinances.

This expertise is also highlighted in various studies conducted by the CIRANO community. In the report “Mieux comprendre le niveau d’adoption des cryptoactifs au Québec”, published in 2022, the authors identify three profiles of cryptoasset investors based on their level of economic and financial literacy. Several scientific papers also examine the effect of financial education on portfolio choices, or the link between financial literacy and responsible investing.

All of these tools can be found on the CIRANO website and on its social media channels:

• Read the guide to personal finance for students

• Play with FinÉcoLab

• Discover Bourstad

• Watch a video from 2022 describing some of the tools offered by CIRANO

Read CIRANO’s studies and scientific reports:

• d’Astous, P., Meier, I., & Michaud, P.-C. (2026). Sustainable Investment Decisions: Heterogeneous Beliefs and Preferences (2026s-11, Working Papers, CIRANO.)

• Gemmo, I., Michaud, P.-C., & Mitchell, O. S. (2023). Selection into Financial Education and Effects on Portfolio Choice (2023s-21, Working Papers, CIRANO.)

• Warin, T., De Marcellis-Warin, N., & Normand, R. (2022). Mieux comprendre le niveau d’adoption des cryptoactifs au Québec (2022RP-23, Project Reports, CIRANO.)