BOJ launches money management game for children

The Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) has launched a new financial literacy gamification platform, BOJ Money Quest, designed to engage Jamaican schoolchildren in learning about money management. 

The initiative uses a curriculum-aligned game, accessible on phones, tablets and computers, to equip students in grades four to six with essential financial skills, including saving, budgeting, goal-setting and responsible spending.

Importantly, students played an active role in shaping the platform, contributing ideas during its development and participating in beta testing in July 2025.

The BOJ Money Quest was officially launched by BOJ Governor Richard Byles during a ceremony at the central bank in downtown Kingston on Friday.

He emphasised that this forward-looking initiative underscores the bank’s ongoing commitment to advancing financial inclusion.

“When our children learn to manage money wisely, they not only become better financial citizens, they become more capable, more confident, and more empowered human beings,” Byles said.

Byles noted that global research provides compelling evidence supporting the importance of introducing financial education at an early age.

“The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has found that financial habits and attitudes begin forming as early as age seven. By the time a child reaches their teenage years, many of their fundamental financial behaviours are already entrenched,” he explained.

Byles said delaying the introduction of financial principles until adulthood is, in many cases, far too late.

He cited multiple market studies consistently showing that children who receive structured financial literacy education are significantly more likely to save, less likely to accumulate harmful debt, and more inclined to engage productively with formal financial institutions as adults.

“Closer to home, financial literacy gaps among young people in the Caribbean remain a documented challenge, with many students leaving primary school without a working understanding of budgeting, savings, or basic financial decision making,” Byles noted.

He affirmed that financially literate children grow into financially resilient adults who establish more stable households, make sounder economic decisions, and contribute with greater confidence to national growth.

“Research in the field of financial education consistently shows that game-based learning significantly improves knowledge retention among children aged eight to 12, compared to traditional instructional methods. When children learn through play, they are not just simply receiving information, they are applying it, testing it, and owning it,” Byles outlined.

He noted that the vision is to expand BOJ Money Quest across all 14 parishes, ensuring that students in every corner of Jamaica are reached with a message that is both simple and transformative.

“The message is [that] understanding money is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy. It is a life skill that belongs to every Jamaican child,” Byles said.

Meanwhile, Senior Deputy Governor Dr Wayne Robinson said the BOJ is excited about the generations BOJ Money Quest will help to shape.

“The best investment the Bank of Jamaica can make is in you… the young Jamaicans who will, one day, lead, build, and strengthen this country,” he said.

Robinson urged the students attending the launch ceremony to actively engage with the platform and take full advantage of the learning opportunities it offers.

“Let it help you see that money is not only something to spend, but also something to understand, manage, and use wisely,” he emphasised.

The game was developed by Database Technologies Limited in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, which ensured that the platform is fully aligned with the national curriculum.