BPI, Mapua tie up to expand ‘FinEd’ programs
The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), through its social development arm BPI Foundation (BPIF), has partnered with Mapua Malayan Colleges Laguna (MMCL) to expand financial education efforts aimed at underserved communities.
In a statement, BPIF said the partnership was formalized through a memorandum of agreement for the implementation of its FinEd Unboxed Program.
The program focuses on improving financial literacy among various sectors, including farmers, fisherfolk, low-income families, migrant domestic workers, young learners, financially excluded groups, teachers and uniformed personnel.
The program also covers practical financial skills such as saving, budgeting, credit management, investing, insurance, retirement planning and fraud prevention. The initiative seeks to strengthen financial empowerment while broadening access to quality education in partner communities.
Under the agreement, BPIF and MMCL will roll out a “train the trainers” initiative that will equip students and volunteer faculty members to serve as financial education resource speakers.
After training, members of the Mapua community will conduct financial wellness sessions in partner communities. This will allow financial literacy knowledge to be cascaded in a sustained manner.
Key activities include training sessions for students and faculty, the use of FinEd Unboxed materials and toolkits for community-based workshops, the conduct of financial wellness sessions led by trained participants and ongoing mentorship and monitoring.
“For BPI Foundation, financial education is a critical enabler of inclusive growth,” said BPIF executive director Carmina Marquez.
Marquez said the partnership aligns with BPI’s efforts to scale access to practical financial education as the bank marks its 175th anniversary.
The program is projected to benefit more than 10,000 individuals over the next two years from MMCL’s adopted communities in Laguna, Cavite and Pampanga.
