To join via Zoom, register here: bit.ly/4itNW5J   

Background 

For World Consumer Rights Day, marked on the 15th of March every year, Fair Finance Asia (FFA) is partnering with Consumers International in a global call for ‘A just transition to sustainable lifestyles’. Together, we call for enhanced consumer literacy and empowerment so that they will be equipped with the awareness and right tools to support global goals to reduce greenhouse (GHG) emissions and dependency on fossil fuels, as well as the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), by promoting sustainable choices and practices. 

In this session organized by FFA and its partners, we turn our attention to Asian consumers increasingly expecting transparency and accountability from their banks and financial institutions. Building on FFA’s new scorecard, the network calls on Asian banks to balance inclusion goals with financial literacy and consumer empowerment initiatives, ensuring that consumers and clients are meaningfully informed about their sustainability strategies and financing practices, and are able to hold them accountable for implementing their commitments. Asian banks should respond by educating, engaging, and empowering consumers to make smarter financial decisions that align with their values and enable them to be partners in driving social and environmental sustainability. 

Objectives 

The session will bring together representatives to discuss what policies and practices underlie sustainability as a shared responsibility. Specifically, the session aims to: 

• Present key findings on how Asian banks integrate consumer empowerment in their policies based on Fair Finance Asia’s scorecard;   
• Facilitate a multistakeholder dialogue on the role of empowered consumers as key partners in the sustainability journey of banks and the financial sector overall; 
• Showcase examples of active consumer empowerment policies that can inspire reforms among Asian financial sector leaders driving inclusive and sustainable finance. 

Speakers 

The session will be moderated by Bernadette Victorio, Program Lead, Fair Finance Asia.  

The speakers will be: 

• Sundus Saleem, Senior Joint Director, State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan 
• Marla Garin-Alvarez, Vice President and Head, Sustainability Office, BDO Unibank Philippines  
• Jakob König, Lead, Fair Finance Guide Sweden