Kubiss: A Cultural and Educational Hub Leading the Way in Digital Financial Literacy
Published on October 01, 2024
Kubiss.de, the cultural and educational platform for the greater Nuremberg area, focuses on cultural and academic learning and is breaking new ground in digital financial education. In an interview, Peter Kührt, board member and co-founder, talks about how Kubiss has evolved and why financial education matters more than ever.
Kubiss.de started as a platform for digitizing schools in Nuremberg, but over time, it’s evolved into a full-scale educational hub for teacher training and curriculum development—and now even includes digital financial education.
Peter Kührt, one of Kubiss’s co-founders, is especially proud of their latest milestone:
We’re thrilled that Kubiss is the only educational platform in Germany invited by the Federal Ministry of Finance to the ‘Festival of Financial Education’.
For years, financial education wasn’t seen as a priority, as Kührt points out in the interview. A comment from a 17-year-old student on X (formerly Twitter) really stuck with him: “I can analyze poetry in four languages, but I have no idea how taxes, rent, or insurance work.”
Since the 2009 financial crisis and the rise in young people’s interest in economic issues, financial education has become more of a focus. The growing debt levels among teenagers only add to its urgency. Kührt believes, based on several surveys, that financial education should be an integral part of the everyday school curriculum to help students be better prepared for real life.
Kubiss.de: Google’s #1 for “Digital Financial Education”
For the past 15 years, Kubiss has run more than 20 projects with up-and-coming banking and insurance trainees to help them boost their financial literacy.
“We came up with a simple investor test with clear risk categories, created easy-to-understand descriptions of investments, and asked young people about their knowledge gaps and needs. Based on their feedback, we made explainer videos, exercises, and even built a self-learning platform. We also designed an easy analysis system for the sustainability of investments, hosted a series of events for senior investors, launched a public challenge for investment strategies, and spent three years analyzing a sample robo-advisor portfolio.
Our server offers ready-to-use lesson plans for teachers, project materials, and tools for digital teaching. We also host a lecture series on topics like money, investments, monetary policy, and cryptocurrencies. Best of all, everything is freely accessible, ad-free, and completely free of charge.
So, it’s no wonder we’ve ranked on Google’s first page for years under search terms like ‘investment options explained’ or ‘digital financial education.’ And if you search YouTube today for terms like ‘installment loan,’ ‘overdraft,’ ‘mandatory car insurance,’ ‘convertible bond,’ or ‘bonus certificate,’ you’ll find video clips created by our students,” explains Kührt.
"Banking Trainees Take on Digital Financial Education": An Innovative Approach
One of Peter Kührt’s favorite projects is the initiative "Banking Trainees Take on Digital Financial Education," where apprentices independently dive into financial topics and present them to their peers.
“You can explain finance to students, sure, but it’s so much more effective and lasting when they figure things out themselves—through tough, meaningful tasks that give them plenty of freedom and responsibility. And they should always present their work publicly and, ideally, share it online so other students and young people can benefit,” says Kührt.
All you need is working IT equipment, whether it’s a computer lab or tablets. Teachers don’t have to be IT experts—they just need to be willing to try, stay curious, and push limits. This mindset applies to both teachers and students. Continuous, project-based, hands-on learning in open teams—collaborating with colleagues, sharing digitally with other schools and investors—helps students gain the digital skills they’ll need in the workplace. Plus, they’ll feel empowered when their work sparks public discussions.
Peter Kührt will be at the "Festival of Financial Education" in Berlin on October 15.
About Peter Kührt
Dr. Peter Kührt is a co-founder and board member of kubiss.de e.V., Nuremberg’s cultural and educational platform. He spent many years training banking professionals at a vocational business school and teaching at universities, as well as working in teacher training programs. While he’s always been passionate about topics like monetary policy, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies, the 2009 financial crisis and young people’s increasing interest in understanding economic issues motivated him to dedicate himself to digital financial education.
Sarah Grodd
Projektmanagerin
NUEDIGITAL
