Dunamu's Upclass Junior digital finance program hits 96% satisfaction rate, launches second-half schedule

Dunamu's digital finance education program for youth, Upclass Junior, has achieved a 96% on-site satisfaction rate, the company announced Friday.

Dunamu said it will kick off the second-half schedule for Upclass Junior on Monday, building on the 96% satisfaction rate recorded during the first half of this year, as the company pushes ahead with its youth digital finance education initiative.

Upclass Junior is part of Upbit's generation-tailored financial education program, Upclass. It is a rebranded version of "Duniverse," which Dunamu had operated since May 2022. The program covers the principles of shares and digital assets, investment risk management and rational asset allocation. It offers interactive, hands-on education through simulated investment activities so students can learn risk management and market mechanics firsthand. The curriculum also integrates core fourth-industrial-revolution technology concepts — AI, big data and blockchain — to help students explore future careers and career paths.

Upclass Junior has grown beyond a one-off event into a nationwide education program. By the end of this year, the program is set to have visited 214 schools across the country, with 41,854 students having taken its classes.

The school count has grown each year: 25 schools (5,280 students) in 2022, 29 schools (6,824 students) in 2023, 40 schools (7,600 students) in 2024 and 50 schools (9,514 students) last year. This year, including the second-half schedule, the program will provide tailored education to 70 schools nationwide, reaching a cumulative 12,636 students.

A survey of teachers at 62 schools found broad agreement on the need for digital finance education. Teachers rated the necessity of such education at an average of 4.9 out of 5. Overall satisfaction with the program reached 96.0% (average score of 4.8), and 94.0% of teachers said they intended to participate again the following year (average score of 4.7). Some 98.0% of respondents said Upclass Junior had contributed to improving students' foundational understanding of digital finance.

One participating teacher said the regular school curriculum is structured around core subjects and college entrance preparation, making it difficult for schools to independently offer objective instruction on digital currencies and innovative financial products. "The current system, which brings in outside experts, is extremely valuable," the teacher said.

A separate survey of students who participated in the first-half program — with 1,364 respondents before the sessions and 1,263 after — also confirmed improvements in financial awareness and the ability to recognize and prevent financial crime. Before the program, only 13.6% of students said they were familiar with digital finance; after completing it, that figure jumped to 78.1%, nearly a sixfold increase.

The share of students who said they understood investment products rose from 28.7% before the program to 83.5% afterward. Understanding of real-life applications of blockchain rose from 15.7% to 83.0%, while awareness of financial fraud types and prevention methods climbed from 56.2% to 91.7%.

A Dunamu official said the program's goal is to prevent youth from engaging in speculative behavior and falling victim to new forms of financial crime, while helping them grow into independent economic participants. "We will continue working to establish ourselves as a leading private ESG social contribution model that adds value to public education," the official said.