Beograd gets new finance education center
Beogradska berza (BGDx) has opened the BGDx Bloomberg Finance Lab, a new educational and research center developed in collaboration with Bloomberg. The center aims to connect financial education, modern technology, and practical work on financial markets.
The lab is equipped with Bloomberg terminals and is intended for students, professors, brokers, investment advisors, portfolio managers, and financial analysts.
Ognjen Popović, a member of the Berza’s Supervisory Board and Assistant Minister of Finance, and Lazo Ostojić, Executive Director of the Berza, officially opened the center. Participants will gain practical knowledge and better understand international markets through programs and work on Bloomberg terminals.
The need for financial education in Serbia is significant, as very little is known about the capital market and stock buying in the country.
The exchange’s total market capitalization was around 495 billion dinars on August 7, 2026. Trading is modest, with daily transactions comparable to those of a better-performing green market, which does not attract large funds.
Despite the Belex15 index rising 11.2% last year, the market remains underdeveloped compared to neighboring countries. The Zagreb Stock Exchange is much larger, with its two biggest issuers, Zagrebačka banka and INA, worth over 12 billion euros combined, roughly three times the value of the entire exchange.
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Comparison with Other Markets
In 2025, the average weekly turnover on the exchange was around 3 million euros, while Ljubljana recorded about 16 million euros. Ljubljana, owned by Zagreb, remains the smallest comparable EU exchange.
Growth has been slow; the index continued to rise in 2025, though the capitalization slipped slightly in 2026. In contrast, Ljubljana grew 44.3%, Budapest expanded 32%, and Zagreb increased 7.4% in domestic currency.
Financial Literacy in Serbia
A survey conducted by the IMAS agency for Erste Bank found that 24% of citizens expressed complete uncertainty about financial topics and products, and about 73% cannot imagine investing in stocks, bonds, or funds.
Research presented by Tavex zlato i srebro (M2S REsearch agency) showed that if a Serbian citizen suddenly received 10,000 euros, 33% of respondents would deposit the money in a bank, while only 7% considered actual investment.
Formal data on financial literacy are absent; the National Bank of Serbia last published an analysis in 2012. Since then, Serbia has not participated in OECD or Eurobarometer international studies.
