Partnering with NPO Enrich in Hong Kong, Experian aims to help vulnerable communities gain financial inclusion.
Hong Kong, 23 September 2021: Experian, the world’s leading global information services company, has launched United for Financial Health to help drive financial inclusion for the most vulnerable communities impacted by COVID-19 in Asia Pacific (APAC).
This global corporate social responsibility initiative will see Experian working with non-profit organisations (NPOs) worldwide to provide tools and resources to educate and uplift consumers, while protecting them from fraud and identity theft. United for Financial Health’s goal is to support millions of people marginalised by COVID-19 globally, by offering tangible ways to improve financial health and aid on the road to recovery.
As part of the first phase of United for Financial Health rollout in APAC, Experian will partner with Enrich:
- Enrich is an award-winning educational charity promoting the economic empowerment of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Building on a similar project conceptualised by Enrich and Experian in 2019, the continued collaboration focuses on creating a financial literacy quiz-based online competition in 2022 on basic money management and financial concepts for migrant domestic workers (MDWs) with the goal of reaching 250,000 MDWs and their families.
Enrich’s work contributes to the Hong Kong Strategy for Financial Literacy and has reached over 60,000 MDWs since 2007 through its educational and outreach programmes. In 2021, Enrich was granted the ‘Financial Education Champion’ Award by the Investor and Financial Education Council, for the third consecutive time.
Lucinda Pike, Executive Director of Enrich, says, “Initiatives like Experian’s United for Financial Health are so important right now as we recover from the impact of the pandemic. We truly believe that collaborations between civil society and the private sector are pivotal in rebuilding for a more inclusive and resilient world where marginalised groups like migrant domestic workers and their loved ones are not left behind.”
With ongoing social distancing restrictions across various APAC countries, the rollout of volunteering and engagement programmes will be conducted digitally to ensure the safety of all participants.
“I am pleased to launch United for Financial Health to uplift and empower the most vulnerable communities in the region. Financial inclusion has always been a priority for us at Experian, and across Asia Pacific an estimated half of the adult population do not own a bank account, according to the World Bank in 2018. The issue of financial exclusion has become increasingly evident during these challenging times, and these vulnerable populations will need the right support to stay resilient,” says Ben Elliott, CEO, Experian Asia Pacific.
“We are committed to helping the people in the communities that we live and operate in. At Experian, we believe data has the potential to transform lives, and we use our innovative technology and data to help people and organisations across Asia Pacific,” adds Sisca Margaretta, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Experian Asia Pacific. “Corporate responsibility is deeply ingrained in Experian’s culture, and never has it been more important for us than now to support our communities as the pandemic has put even more people and communities in vulnerable situations. We will continue our work to ensure that they receive support via our community initiatives.”
The United for Financial Health initiative first launched in North America, United Kingdom and Brazil in 2020, and has helped 35 million consumers worldwide.
About Enrich
Enrich is the leading Hong Kong charity promoting the economic empowerment of migrant domestic workers. We empower migrant domestic workers to invest in themselves through financial and empowerment education. Our workshops equip domestic workers with the tools to save, budget and plan for a future with greater financial security while they are here in Hong Kong.
According to a recent CUHK study, 96% of Enrich’s participants begin tracking their expenses following Enrich’s workshops. Please visit www.enrichhk.org for more information.