AraratBank and Urartu Football Club Team Up to Promote Financial Literacy

For nearly two years, AraratBank has been delivering interactive financial literacy sessions for young people at summer camps, festivals, and through podcasts. This marks the first time, however, that important knowledge and skills are being specifically shared with athletes.

The one-year partnership between AraratBank and Urartu Football Club is now continuing in a new, exciting, and unique format: finance and sports are taking the field.

The children of Bank employees and the trainees of Urartu Football Club were brought together by a financial literacy session led by Ara Chalabyan, AraratBank Board Member and Finance Lecturer at the American University of Armenia.

The goalkeeper represents savings, defenders stand for smart spending, forwards embody leisure, while midfielders reflect the most critical financial decisions. Using simple and slightly playful language, Ara Chalabyan explained these concepts to the children, while the focus was on practical financial literacy.

“From the very beginning of our partnership, our goal has been to create the most favorable conditions for the holistic development of the younger generation. Beyond presenting the activities and programs of both organizations, we also work together to implement social initiatives that contribute to children’s development. I believe this is the most valuable aspect of our partnership - bringing together organizations from different sectors to create meaningful value for society,” said Robert Mkhitaryan, Head of Marketing at Urartu Football Club.

“The children demonstrated quite a solid level of financial awareness and had a clear understanding of essential spending and savings. I believe these topics are also discussed within families, and the children understand what constitutes a necessary expense and what should be considered savings,” said Ara Chalabyan, AraratBank Board Member and Finance Lecturer at the American University of Armenia, praising the children’s financial awareness.

“All social programs carried out by AraratBank - whether in collaboration with Urartu Football Club or in the fields of healthcare, environmental protection, or education - are of significant importance to us. To be honest, today’s financial literacy session stood out among others. For nearly two years, we have been educating children in financial literacy across various areas. And today, we are truly impressed by how well-prepared the children are and how smart their questions are. We believe that in the future these children will be better protected against fraud and more careful in managing their financial activities,” said Anna Allahverdyan, Head of Communication and CSR Programs Coordination Division at AraratBank.

The children of AraratBank employees and the trainees of Urartu Football Club also tested their skills on the pitch, where each pass appeared more deliberate and each decision more calculated.