Education & Training
Preventing over-indebtedness: from awareness to financial empowerment
Published on 29 April 2026
As Luxembourg marks the National Week for the Prevention of Over-Indebtedness, the focus is not only on risks, but on solutions, and on the shared responsibility to strengthen financial resilience across society.
Summary
Beyond individual situations, over-indebtedness highlights a broader need: improving financial literacy, supporting informed decision-making, and ensuring that citizens are equipped to navigate an increasingly complex financial environment.
A collective effort to address a complex reality
The National Week for the Prevention of Over-Indebtedness, launched with a dedicated opening event bringing together institutional actors and field experts, aims to raise awareness, strengthen financial education, and promote existing support mechanisms.
Over-indebtedness remains a multifaceted issue. It can affect individuals across all social categories and often results from unexpected life events, such as job loss or illness, as well as challenges in managing personal finances.
In Luxembourg, structured solutions are in place to support individuals facing financial difficulties, including dedicated advice services and debt settlement procedures available through specialised organisations. More information on these mechanisms can be found on the ABBL’s page on over-indebtedness procedures.
Financial education as a key lever for prevention
While support mechanisms are essential, prevention remains the most effective response.
This is where financial education plays a central role. Strengthening financial literacy helps individuals:
- better manage their budgets,
- anticipate financial risks,
- and make informed decisions throughout their lives.
The ABBL and the Fondation ABBL pour l’éducation financière have been actively committed to this mission for many years, promoting a more financially literate and resilient society.
As highlighted in a recent round table on financial education, financial knowledge remains uneven, including among younger generations, despite increasing exposure to complex financial products and digital tools.
Strengthening financial education is essential to help individuals make informed decisions and build long-term financial resilience.
Hélène Lange
Head of Business Coordination, ABBL
From responsibility to action: the role of the banking sector
Banks play a key role in supporting clients and promoting responsible financial practices. This includes:
- robust lending standards,
- client information and transparency,
- and early identification of potential financial difficulties.
At the same time, it is important to recognise that over-indebtedness is rarely the result of a single factor. It reflects a combination of economic, social and behavioural elements.
Encouragingly, indicators such as non-performing loans remain stable in Luxembourg and below the European average, reflecting a generally sound credit environment.
However, maintaining this stability requires continued vigilance and a strong focus on financial awareness and prevention.
Engaging citizens through innovative tools
To make financial education more accessible and engaging, the Fondation ABBL has developed practical initiatives such as Money Odyssey, an interactive educational game designed for both young people and adults.
Through real-life scenarios, the game helps users better understand key concepts such as:
- budgeting,
- saving,
- investing,
- and responsible financial behaviour.
By combining learning and interaction, Money Odyssey contributes to building essential financial skills in a way that is both practical and accessible.
Discover the Money Odyssey initiative and explore how financial education can be integrated into everyday life.
A shared responsibility for a more resilient society
Preventing over-indebtedness requires a collective effort involving public authorities, financial institutions, educators and civil society.
At ABBL, the commitment is clear:
not only to support clients responsibly, but also to actively contribute to financial education and inclusion.
Because ultimately, over-indebtedness prevention is not only about managing risk: it is about empowering individuals to make informed choices and build a more secure financial future.
Hélène Lange
Head of Business Coordination, ABBL
Published on 29 April 2026