FWD Group marks 11 years with Asia-wide community grants

FWD Group Holdings Limited (FWD Group) has announced the allocation of 11 community grants in conjunction with its 11th anniversary, aimed at supporting local initiatives across Asia.

These grants focus on promoting financial literacy, career development, social entrepreneurship, and health and well-being within the communities FWD serves.

FWD Group’s growth

Since its establishment, FWD has expanded from its original markets in Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Thailand to cover 10 markets across Asia, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia.

Huynh Thanh Phong, group chief executive officer (CEO) and executive director of FWD Group, said the company’s commitment to caring has remained a fundamental value even after significant growth and expansion across Asia.

“As an insurer, we must earn the trust of our customers and communities every day,” he said.

FWD Group community grants

The grants are directed towards several key projects:

• Cambodia: partnering with the Department of Media & Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh to enhance financial education through training for media professionals and a competition aimed at increasing financial planning awareness.
• Hong Kong SAR: working with the KELY Support Group to enhance the mental well-being of high school students through peer support programs.
• Indonesia: collaborating with KUMPUL.ID to extend the InnovateHer Academy 2.0 Accelerator program, supporting female entrepreneurs in scaling their finance and insurance technology ventures.
• Japan: supporting the Orange Ribbon Movement, in partnership with the Japan Network for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
• Malaysia: partnering with MyKasih Foundation to provide environmental and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Philippines: expanding the JA SparktheDream financial literacy program and launching the Forest of the Future initiative with Fostering Education & Environment for Development, focusing on the protection of indigenous forest trees.
• Singapore: supporting Club Rainbow (Singapore) through the Ride and Ralk for Rainbows campaign, which provides services to children and youths with chronic illnesses and their families.
• Thailand: funding scholarships for students through the Pimali Foundation, which offers hospitality training to disadvantaged youths.
• Vietnam: expanding the JA SparktheDream program to include financial literacy training for parents and teachers, and partnering with the Breast Cancer Network Vietnam to donate wigs to economically disadvantaged cancer patients.

These initiatives form part of FWD’s broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy.

FWD Life Insurance collaborates with Save the Children Philippines

FWD’s grants towards key projects in the Philippines coincide with FWD life Insurance’s (FWD Philippines) partnership with Save the Children Philippines aimed at assisting young Filipinos affected by natural disasters.

FWD Philippines’ initiative will use the Omne by FWD mobile app to enhance disaster preparedness and provide relief to children in vulnerable communities.

Under this initiative, the insurer will donate up to PhP50 to Save the Children’s Emergency Fund for each policyholder who engages with the Omne by FWD app for the first time. Donations will be made in two stages:

• PhP25 when a policyholder downloads and links their policy to the app
• another PhP25 upon completing their first transaction

This partnership is in response to the recent impact of Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon, which caused significant flooding and displacement across the Philippines. It follows the launch of the Philippine Government Service Insurance System’s (GSIS) emergency loans to support 864,089 members and pensioners impacted by the event.

According to reports, the country has had the highest number of displaced children due to natural disasters, with 9.7 million affected over the past six years.

“When crises strike, children are the most vulnerable, especially those in underserved communities. That’s why we believe the work Save the Children does is critical now more than ever, and we want to do our part in protecting more young Filipinos in times of disasters,” said Roche Vandenberghe, chief marketing and digital business officer at FWD Philippines.

The Omne by FWD app allows users to manage their insurance needs while participating in initiatives that support vulnerable children in disaster-affected areas.