SBI Scholar Quiz 2025: Building financially smart young minds

Time of India

a day ago

The State Bank of India (SBI) in association with
The Times of India
, recently announced the launch of the SBI Scholar Quiz 2025 — a prestigious national-level initiative designed to nurture financial literacy, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of economic systems among high school students across India. Organised at a pan-India level, this exciting competition marks the beginning of a transformative journey aimed at preparing young minds for the evolving world of finance, economics, and policymaking.
Despite the growing access to financial services, surveys show that financial literacy is still missing in large sections of the population. Banking plays a crucial role in our lives as it helps us manage money, make transactions easier, and build financial security.
When we save money in a bank, it not only keeps our funds safe but also earns us interest, helping our savings grow over time. Banks also provide loans to individuals and businesses, supporting major purchases like homes, vehicles, and entrepreneurial ventures. In addition, they offer services like savings accounts, checking accounts, and debit or credit cards, simplifying payments and enabling secure, fast money transfers. Banking makes everyday life more convenient and contributes significantly to the growth of a strong, stable economy.
In today's fast-paced world, learning how to manage money, therefore, is an essential life skill. It empowers young people to make smart financial decisions and plan for their future. The SBI Scholar Quiz 2025, presented in association with The Times of India, has been designed with this very purpose of sharpening financial literacy of school students from Classes IX to XII.
Through this quiz, students will not only learn about money management but also understand the deep connection between SBI and the growth of modern India. The goal is to equip them with financial acumen and decision-making skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.
This quiz series is being conducted in 2 broad phases- one across North and East India, and the second across Western, Central and Southern India.
This one-of-its-kind quiz has seen participation by over 1,000 schools across the country, not just from the cities where the quiz is being organised, but also from the hinterland. Students have shown their interest and aptitude in a field essential in the modern world, but one that is not necessarily taught as part of their formal education.
In each city quiz, hundreds of teams have participated in a preliminary written test, based on the State Bank of India, as well as history of banking, financial literacy, concepts of saving, investment and financial security. The six best schools were then selected for the city grand finale which was conducted on the same day. The final city stage rounds are multimedia extravaganzas, with different rounds challenging awareness levels of the students as well as their ability to connect the dots. Several quizzes have gone down to the wire, with all teams in the fray till the last round.
The city round winners received a trophy, certificates of merit and cash prizes totalling ₹1.75 lakhs. The runners-up school received a trophy and certificates, in addition to ₹85,000, whilst the second runners-up received ₹40,000, as well as trophies and certificates of merit. Uniquely, the mentor teachers from the 3 winning schools received cash prizes as well.
All teachers were honoured with a special 'Certificate of Appreciation,' whilst all students received participation certificates.
Commenting on both the participation as well as performance thus far, quizmaster Kunal Savarkar said, 'Teams from across India have demonstrated high levels of knowledge about State Bank of India and its role in the life of Indians as a nation, while the high scoring reflects the increasing awareness and understanding about financial and banking concepts'. Content curator and author, Seema Chari said, 'Students were up to the task of answering and solving the multiformat questions, demonstrating the talent in the next generation'.
In a statement, the State Bank of India mentioned that although the bank is observing its 70th anniversary this year, in actual fact its history is 219 years old! The bank sees students as the future stakeholders in India's progress, growth and development into a world leader. The bank is committed to fostering financial literacy among students and an increased awareness about banking, savings and investment.
As evident from the event, State Bank of India is committed to contribute to the building of a financially robust generation through this innovative quiz series. In the first phase quizzes were conducted at 7 cities– Chandigarh, Delhi, Guwahati, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Patna. In the second phase, quizzes have been conducted at Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Chennai, Mumbai & Pune . The series will culminate in a national round which will be conducted in the last week of June in Mumbai, where the 16 city champions will battle it out in 4 semi-finals and a final.