The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) officially launched **Financial Information Month (FIM) Festival 2025** on 30 September with a regional media event that brought together banking partners, students, educators, government representatives, and media practitioners from across the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).

The event marked the start of a month-long calendar of activities in October, designed to strengthen communities and empower citizens to move from being _Savers to Investors_ : the focus of this year’s FIM Festival _.

Deputy Governor, Dr Valda F. Henry delivered the opening remarks, grounding her message in the ECCB’s core mission. **“With the ECCB’s Mission Statement—‘Advancing the good of the people of the currency union by maintaining monetary and financial stability and promoting growth and development’—at the heart of everything we do, we have worked to make access to banking simpler and more inclusive,” she said.**

The Deputy Governor highlighted key initiatives such as the [First Step Savings Account](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abdbg-hPL-M), designed to bring more citizens into the formal banking system, and the launch of the [Regional Government Securities Market (RGSM) Retail Bond Initiative](https://eccuretailbond.com), which she said would ensure that **even more people in the ECCU can move from being _Savers to Investors_.**

The launch, chaired by Director of the Corporate Relations Department, Shermalon Kirby, also featured presentations from regional and sectoral partners, including:

1. Corporate Communications Officer, Ministry of Finance, Grenada – Dwight Sampson, who presented on _Wealth Creation_ ;

2. Communications Officer, Shana Derrick (affectionately known as _Aunty Shana_ from the popular ECCB Children’s Connection Radio Programme), who delivered the monologue _“Me Want to Grow My Wealth”_ ;

3. Fiscal and Debt Specialist, Research, Statistics and Data Analytics Department, Juletta Edinborough – presentation on the ECCU Retail Bond Initiative;

4. Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange Business Development Executive, Youlouca Armony-Browne, highlighting the _3 rd Annual Regional Schools Investment Competition_, with reflections from 2024 champions, the Adelphi Secondary School of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and

5. Representatives from FIM Partnering institutions, who presented their respective _2025 Calendar of Activities_.