HSBC Malaysia has launched the ‘We Can We Do’ initiative to cultivate the Can-Do spirit amongst Malaysians by encouraging and facilitating financial empowerment. The initiative is a localised version of the bank’s global brand philosophy: ‘Together we thrive’, customised to spur Malaysians to achieve their financial ambitions which includes curated roundtable sessions and financial masterclasses led by HSBC’s own financial experts, industry leaders and financial-savvy Malaysians from reputable finance publications.
These roundtable sessions will cover topics on finance for individuals, entrepreneurs and business owners, which aim to equip participants with financial tools and the know-how to help them better plot their financial future.
According to Financial Behaviour and State of Financial Well-Being of Malaysian Working Adults 2018 (AFBES18), a third of Malaysians are uncomfortable with their financial knowledge.
AFBES18 also highlights that 53 percent of Malaysian respondents face difficulties with raising even RM1,000 for emergencies. To address this gap, HSBC Malaysia is spearheading a mission to instill financial literacy amongst the local communities to enable Malaysians to take charge of their financial life.
Stuart Milne, CEO of HSBC Bank Malaysia said in a statement that HSBC Malaysia has a responsibility to empower and transform the communities they serve through financial literacy.
“Our goal is to provide people with the tools they need to become financially independent and to make more informed financial decisions”, Milne stressed. The ‘We Can We Do’ initiative reinforces our commitment in enabling Malaysians to take control of their finances by providing them tips and tricks to improve their financial knowledge.
Recognising the importance of instilling financial literacy from young, HSBC Malaysia has partnered with the non-profit organisation, Teach For Malaysia (TFM), to design a Financial Empowerment Programme that uses a game-based approach to help children understand key financial concepts. The programme simulates real-life scenarios to guide children to set financial goals and budgets and identify and manage financial scams.
HSBC will also be featuring a series of local ‘Can-Do’ Heroes that have turned “Can” into “Do” as part of the initiative to motivate and inspire Malaysians. These ‘Can-Do’ Heroes come from all walks of life – from differently abled entrepreneurs to national badminton players to young volunteers – and their remarkable stories are a true embodiment of the ‘We Can We Do’ spirit. The bank is also powering Malaysia’s ‘Can-Do’ spirit through badminton which is one of the bank’s brand pillars in driving the agenda of ‘Together we thrive’ to unite the nation.
Commenting on HSBC Malaysia’s ‘Can-Do’ spirit, Milne added, “Through thick and thin, our employees have demonstrated that we can and we do take the necessary action to serve our customers. I have witnessed the exemplary effort of our people in stepping up during these trying times and I am confident that our Can-Do spirit is instrumental in helping the local communities get back on their feet like we did to serve our customers to meet their banking needs during the Movement Control Order”.
As part of the We Can We Do launch, HSBC has invited four financially-savvy Malaysians to share their perspectives on how to embrace and thrive in The New Normal: Life, Business and Beyond.
To find out more about HSBC’s financial literacy related programmes, visit HSBC Malaysia’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HSBCMalaysia.
