OP Uusimaa The number of minors who own OP Uusimaa funds is growing significantly – fathers invest for their children more often than mothers

Investing on behalf of underage children is becoming increasingly popular. According to a Taloustutkimus survey OP Pohjola commissioned last autumn, 56% of families with children say they save or invest for their underage child.

According to the survey, people saving for underage children preferred funds and equities (67%), but a Savings Account was also a popular choice (57%). Only a small percentage saved money in cash (12%).

OP Uusimaa has noticed the growing interest in investing. In 2025, the number of 0–17-year-olds investing in funds grew by 30.5%. January 2026 also began at a record-high pace: the number of new underage investors was nearly 79% higher than the year before at OP Uusimaa.

"Even a small investment can have a long-term impact on the development of a child's financial skills. At OP Pohjola, the average monthly sum saved for customers aged 0–17 is 40 euros through regular fund investing," says Riikka Kangas, Executive Vice President, Personal Customers at OP Uusimaa.

"Many young people aged 16–19, or even younger, want to start investing independently, with the help of their parents. Thanks to the compound interest effect, even a small sum can grow over time and become a major investment for the future. When a young person gets to invest on their own, their interest in monitoring their finances grows and their financial skills improve," says Riikka Kangas.

If a family makes an initial investment of 100 euros and continues investing 40 euros a month over the next 18 years, they could accumulate more than 15,000 euros for the child, based on an expected return of 6%. Historically, the stock market has grown 6% annually on average.

According to the survey by Taloustutkimus, fathers are slightly more active than mothers in investing for their children, as 61% of fathers responded that they are saving or investing compared to 51% of mothers doing the same.

“The difference is small but clear. According to our statistics, the difference between the investment asset medians of men and women are the largest amongst people aged 35–44, many of whom may have underage children. One possible reason is that families divide costs related to children so that mothers take more responsibility for running costs and fathers for investment and savings. According to Statistics Finland, women continue to earn hundreds of euros less than men per month, which certainly has an effect,” says Riikka Kangas.

A quarter of grandparents save or invest for their grandchildren

The survey also reveals that 24%, or about a quarter, of grandparents with underage grandchildren save or invest for them.

“Most grandparents wish for clear and easy ways to support their grandchildren’s financial future. Regular investing in mutual funds is a simple option, and authorisations allow for flexible management of investments together with the child’s guardians. At the same time, grandparents can pass on their financial literacy,” says Kangas.

Of the survey respondents who have godchildren, 9% said they save or invest for their godchild’s future, mostly in a Savings Account.

“Many godparents consider ways to participate in their godchild’s life, but buying unnecessary items is not an attractive option. Godparents can invest in their godchildren’s funds through saving through insurance. You can also invest by transferring funds to the child's account, after which the guardians can put the sum in an investment fund or stocks,” says Riikka Kangas.

OP Pohjola continues investing in children's financial wellbeing by offering the 100-euro OP First Investment in a fund to babies born in 2026. OP First Investment will be given to all OP Uusimaa's customers born in 2025 and 2026 who have a Finnish personal identity code, registered name and a permanent address in Finland.

"At OP Uusimaa, we want to support the prosperity of people in Finland by donating an OP First Investment to every baby born last year and this year, that is, 100 euros in the OP-World Index fund that diversifies broadly across the global stock market. We hope that with this, even more families in Uusimaa can learn about investing, and that open discussion about money carries over to the next generation," says Riikka Kangas.

At OP Uusimaa, over 3,400 customers have taken OP First Investment, which is roughly 344,000 euros for babies born in Uusimaa. In 2025, a total of 17,050 children were born in Uusimaa, so approximately only 15% of those born last year received their 100-euro gift fund.

OP Pohjola's online survey in September 2025 was answered by 1,042 people in Finland, who were over the age of 18 at the time. The results are weighted to be representative of the population in general. The number of respondents varies by question. The survey was conducted for OP Pohjola by Taloustutkimus. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points for the entire respondent group.