AraratBank and Urartu FC take financial literacy onto the pitch
Finance met football as AraratBank and Urartu Football Club brought a financial literacy session to the pitch, marking the first time the bank’s outreach has been tailored specifically to athletes. The event, which gathered children of AraratBank employees and trainees from Urartu FC, is part of a one-year partnership now continuing in a new format that blends sport with practical money skills.
The class was led by Ara Chalabyan, an AraratBank board member and finance lecturer at the American University of Armenia, who used the structure of a football team to explain core concepts. In his analogy, the goalkeeper represented savings, defenders stood for smart spending, forwards embodied leisure, and midfielders signaled the most critical financial decisions.
Using straightforward, playful language, he kept the focus on everyday choices that shape financial habits. Robert Mkhitaryan, Urartu FC’s head of marketing, said the collaboration aims to foster the holistic development of young people.
Beyond presenting the organizations’ activities, he said, the partners seek to implement social initiatives that contribute to children’s growth, describing the cross-sector effort as the partnership’s most valuable aspect. Chalabyan praised the participants’ knowledge, noting that the children showed a clear grasp of essential spending and savings.
He added that these topics appear to be discussed at home, with many already distinguishing between necessary expenses and money that should be set aside. Anna Allahverdyan, who heads AraratBank’s Communication and CSR Programs Coordination Division, said social programs across areas such as healthcare, environmental protection, education and now sport remain a priority for the bank.
She called this session a standout, adding that after nearly two years of financial literacy work with children in various settings, the team was impressed by the group’s preparation and sharp questions. She said the hope is that such awareness will help protect young people against fraud and encourage careful management of their finances.
After the classroom segment, the young participants took their lessons back onto the field, with passes and decisions that organizers described as more deliberate. The partnership is set to continue in this new sports-and-finance format, linking play with practical skills.