Unforeseen: The decision-making game Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards 2024- Nominated

Unforeseen: The decision-making game by Desjardins is the first of its kind in Canada. Launched in 2023, the game's origins can be traced back to 2021, when Desjardins consulted with its young members and found there was a resounding need for financial education. Moreover, 2023 was marked by a period of heightened economic uncertainty where the threat of a recession loomed, inflation was sky-high and the debt-to-income ratio had reached a staggering level. Financial times were tough, especially for young adults.

Desjardins's main objective was to offer people ages 16 to 25 a new way to improve their financial literacy through a fun, free app that lets them try their hand at managing their finances.

There's nothing else like it in Canada. While other financial literacy programs exist, Unforeseen stands out with its game-based approach and mobile format, providing an immersive and interactive experience.

The project was inspired by educational models that promote experiential learning. Players take control of their budget, make decisions that affect their avatar's life and learn about the impact of finances on their daily lives, while picking up the keys to sound financial habits along the way. Unforeseen uses the game aspect to make learning about personal finances both engaging and educational.

The project brought together a multidisciplinary team of nearly 100 people at Desjardins, in addition to our partner Borealys Games and a university research chair. This team's expertise spanned a variety of fields such as education, personal finance, legal rights, information technology, content creation and game development.

Desjardins's initial target was 10,000 downloads in the first year. Unforeseen far exceeded those expectations with over 40,000 downloads within the first 3 months.

Technical note : To date, the game is only available in Canada. We could share a special version with the committee on request.