Spendsafe partners with University College London's AI-education accelerator to deliver measurable impact through fintech

LONDON, Feb. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Students can solve quadratic equations but often cannot balance a budget. Spendsafe tackles this disconnect by partnering with UCL EdTech Labs to embed world-leading impact measurement, pairing age-appropriate AI with a financial literacy curriculum to deliver measurable results.

Spendsafe is a Mastercard® Reloadable Prepaid Card with connected parent and child apps that transforms allowances, chores, and daily spending into active learning. The platform ties rewards to real improvements in money skills, ensuring families learn from a highly relevant and comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from savings habits to compound interest. An in-app AI coach links transactions to lessons, while parents maintain full transparency and control over what their children spend money on, when and where.

UCL EdTech Labs brings evaluation, ethics oversight, and learning governance to the partnership. This equips Spendsafe with a world-class curriculum, proof of effectiveness, and the credibility that families, schools, and policymakers require.

"Families want proof, not promises," said Vasanth Ratna, CEO at Spendsafe. "Every tap should teach, and we should be able to show it. This partnership grounds our coaching in evidence and ethics so parents can trust the guardrails and kids can build real habits."

"We help teams prove what works and scale it responsibly," said Houtan Froushan, Programme Director at UCL EdTech Labs. "With Spendsafe, learning happens in real life. It is vital to ensure the AI is transparent, the research rigorous, and the outcomes clear."

The collaboration is anchored in a single mission: giving families the skills to turn everyday transactions into teachable moments, taking control of their financial future. In a world where technology accelerates and markets shift faster than school curricula, Spendsafe and UCL EdTech Labs are building evidence-backed experiences that keep young people ahead of the curve. This ensures confidence, skills, and financial resilience compound over time rather than widening the gaps.

About UCL EdTech Labs

UCL EdTech Labs, delivered by Startup Labs Global in alliance with University College London, accelerates innovators to co-design, validate, and scale evidence-led educational technologies. Learn more at ucledtechlabs.com

About Spendsafe

Spendsafe is Canada's first* Mastercard®-backed financial education platform for youth aged 6 to 18, combining a secure prepaid card, real-time AI coaching, and dynamic parent-child tools to build lifelong money skills through everyday transactions. Learn more at www.spendsafe.com 

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