A significant milestone was achieved today as we celebrate the most cashless schools enabled by Hong Leong Bank and Hong Leong Islamic Bank ‘HLB@School’ program in Kota Kinabalu. This milestone was celebrated at SJKC Chung Hwa, Kota Kinabalu, where 16 schools were recognised as “Cashless Schools” by PayNet.
Rolled out in October 2020, the ‘HLB@School’ program supports the digital transformation of schools in Malaysia by providing cashless payments, digital banking tools and financial infrastructure to schools and students. To facilitate this digital transformation, students of these schools are equipped with the HLB 3-in-1 Junior Account, which comes with a savings account with a fixed deposit, and a reloadable debit card that will allow them to make cashless payments in their schools. With the HLB/HLISB Debit Card, buying meals at the canteen, paying school fees or buying books is much easier for students just by tapping their cards at the POS terminals.
In addition, it comes with access to the HLB Pocket Connect app, a first-in-market interactive digital banking platform for students and their parents. The app is a simple mobile banking platform with Earn, Save and Spend features, where students can track their pocket money, expenditure and savings with their guidance of their parents. This gives the students a deeper appreciation of the value of money and empowers them to take charge of their finances. Similarly, parents are able to manage and monitor their children’s bank accounts anytime, anywhere through the HLB Connect online and digital banking platforms.
In line with its core value of sustainability, HLB is also building a community of eco-warriors through HLB Earth Hero, a forest conservation initiative that is embedded within the ‘Task’ section of the HLB Pocket Connect app. Each completed task results in a virtual tree being planted. HLB will then plant one real tree for every 20 virtual trees planted at the Lower Kinabatangan area in the name of the young saver.
This initiative is done in partnership with Animal Projects and Environmental Education Sdn Bhd (APE Malaysia), with a goal of planting 2,500 trees this year. HLB will also be planting 10 trees for each of the 16 schools involved in the ‘HLB@School’ program in the Lower Kinabatangan area, adding 160 trees to the overall tally.
To further emphasise the importance of environmental literacy, HLB organised an Earth Hero Education Talk session at SJKC Chung Hwa today, which will be recorded and shared to the other 15 schools. Through this Earth Hero initiative, students can also learn more about the biodiversity and the positive impact seen at the Lower Kinabatangan area.
