Euronext reopens AEX Experience for young people
The exchange organisation aims to improve financial knowledge, while regulators warn of the risks of accessible investing.
Euronext has opened the revamped AEX Experience in Amsterdam for school pupils, students and other young people. Visitors receive an introduction to financial markets, a tour of Beursplein 5 and a simulation of investing.
The AEX Experience is located in the historic exchange building at Amsterdam’s Beursplein 5. According to Euronext, the programme is intended for groups from secondary and higher education. Participants view the trading floor and museum and work together on an investment simulation.
The initiative is not a new organisation. Euronext and Stichting Capital Amsterdam launched the AEX Experience in 2014. After a temporary closure during the coronavirus pandemic, the programme was revamped with an emphasis on financial education and interactive digital tools.
The reopening comes at a time when financial institutions are making more determined efforts to reach young people. The Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) writes that young people in particular lag behind when making investment choices. According to the regulator, better guidance may help, but consumer protection remains necessary.
In May, the AFM reported that around 800,000 Dutch households have sufficient financial resources to invest but do not do so. In 2024, around one-third of households did not invest, despite having more liquid assets than the Nibud reference buffer. That research concerns households in general and does not say that young people should start investing en masse.
That distinction is important. A tour of an exchange building can make financial concepts easier to understand, but it also lowers the barrier to investing in a product whose value can fall. The AFM cites lack of knowledge, risk perception and personal preference as reasons why people do not invest. Financial education is therefore something different from promoting shares or funds.
The exchange organisation presents the Experience as a lesson about how markets work and the role of companies in the economy. The simulation is intended to let participants practise without putting in real money. For schools, the challenge then lies in whether such a visit is embedded in broader lessons about saving, debt, pensions, diversification and costs.
The opening does not automatically make the AEX accessible to every young person. Pupils must be able to travel to Amsterdam and teachers must have time to prepare the programme. The initiative does, however, fit into a broader movement in which financial institutions and regulators are trying to address financial knowledge earlier in education.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Euronext offers young people an educational programme about financial markets.
- The programme uses an investment simulation without participants having to trade with real money.
- The AFM regards lack of knowledge and risk assessment as important barriers to investing.
Left
Arguments Financial knowledge should be broadly and independently available, not provided only through exchange organisations. Young people should learn about risks, debt and social security before institutions approach them as future customers.
Values Equal opportunities, consumer protection and public education.
Consequences More independent lessons could reduce financial vulnerability, but would require additional public funding and supervision.
Centre
Arguments A visit to an exchange can be useful if the programme is transparent and forms part of broader education. Cooperation between schools, the regulator and market participants can make knowledge concrete.
Values Practical skills, proportionality and institutional cooperation.
Consequences Young people gain insight into financial choices earlier, while the risks remain manageable if commercial influence is limited.
Right
Arguments People should learn for themselves how markets work and take responsibility for their financial future. The government should provide basic information, but not seek to direct every choice in advance.
Values Personal responsibility, financial independence and entrepreneurship.
Consequences Greater knowledge could increase participation in capital markets, but individual losses remain possible.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The factual description of the AEX Experience is based on Euronext. The figures and warnings about investing come from AFM publications; no causal effects have been attributed to the programme.
- confirmed Euronext reopened the AEX Experience in September 2026. — Euronext describes the opening of the revamped programme on 23 September 2026. source
- confirmed The programme includes a tour, a museum visit and an investment simulation. — These components are described by Euronext. source
- confirmed The AEX Experience began in 2014. — Euronext states that the initiative was established in 2014. source
- confirmed Around 800,000 households have the financial capacity to invest but do not do so. — This is stated in the AFM press release from May 2026. source
- confirmed Around one-third of households did not invest in 2024 despite having more liquid assets than the Nibud buffer. — The AFM explicitly cites this result. source
- confirmed The AFM warns that financial education must not come at the expense of investor protection. — The AFM explicitly links lowering barriers to adequate protection. source
Editor's note
The reopening, location, educational programme and figures from the AFM studies are certain. There is no evidence that the AEX Experience actually leads young people to invest more; that effect remains uncertain.Sources
- The AEX Experience in Amsterdam: opening the doors to the world of investing — Euronext
- Sector in beeld: pensioenen 2026 — Autoriteit Financiële Markten
- Veel huishoudens laten kansen op meer rendement liggen — Autoriteit Financiële Markten
More on this in Dutch media
- de Volkskrant — „aex euronext”
- NU.nl — „aex euronext”
- De Telegraaf — „aex euronext”