Gen Z's Financial Awakening: Why Kids' Fintech Cards Are Becoming the New Money Teacher

Here’s a wild stat: 72% of American kids now have bank accounts, but only 67% of parents think schools actually teach them money skills. The gap? Fintechs are filling it.

Debit cards for kids have exploded into a competitive battleground. Greenlight, BusyKid, Step, Mazoola—each one racing to add features beyond basic saving. We’re talking:

• Credit-building from scratch (Step auto-reports to bureaus)
• Mock loans & debt lessons (Famzoo lets kids borrow from parents at interest)
• COPPA-compliant privacy (Mazoola takes data protection seriously)
• Crypto & stock investing (some already let teens trade)

The real story? Financial literacy is becoming a product feature. 18 states just mandated personal finance in schools (up 17.8% YoY), and now fintechs are turning banking into a learning game. Parents, banks, and startups are all realizing the same thing: teaching kids about money early isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s competitive advantage.

Next wave to watch: embedded credit-building, gamified investing, and automated allowance management. The fintech that cracks “making money management fun” wins Gen Z’s wallet… and their lifetime loyalty.