FWD Group Extends Partnership with JA Worldwide for its Award-Winning Financial Literacy Program
April 30, 2025
FWD Group Holdings Limited (“FWD Group” or “FWD”) announced a three-year extension of its partnership with JA Worldwide to reach 40,000 more students across Asia by the end of 2027 with its award-winning financial literacy program.
The JA SparktheDream program provides students aged from nine to early teens with financial education integrated with social and life skills. It achieves this through a range of engaging learning experiences, including interactive games, digital activities, and classroom sessions, all supported by FWD volunteers in eight markets across Asia. In the next phase, from 2025 to 2027, the goal is to educate an additional 40,000 students, engage more parents and teachers, and introduce new programs to foster mental health resilience skills.
Cathy Knezevic, Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, FWD Group, said, “Children are the most important asset any community has—they’re our inspiration, future leaders and innovators. We know that financial literacy helps people to make better decisions for their future, empowering them to celebrate living. It’s also an important enabler for long-term economic and social development in the community. That’s why we’re delighted to continue our partnership with JA. We want to help more children gain these skills early in life, to support their well-being later in life.
From 2022 to 2024, the FWD Group's partnership with JA Asia Pacific, the regional operating center of JA Worldwide, reached more than 37,000 students, exceeding the initial target by 49 percent. Among participants, 88 percent gained an understanding of the role of money in daily life, while 80 percent developed a greater awareness of community needs. Over 1,650 students also participated in the JA SparktheDream Social Challenge, where they put their new skills and creativity into practice to solve real-world challenges in their communities.
Asheesh Advani, Chief Executive Officer, JA Worldwide, said, “Our partnership with FWD has provided tens of thousands of students with access to practical and impactful financial education. As we embark on this next phase, we look forward to deepening our impact and enabling even more young people to become financially capable and socially conscious individuals.”
FWD Group co-created the JA Spark the Dream program with JA, successfully piloted it in Hong Kong SAR—China and Singapore in 2022, and expanded it to eight markets total, including Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam in its first three years from 2022 to 2024. The program consisted of nearly 900 classes, supported by over 800 FWD employee volunteers.
JA SparktheDream was recognised with a Silver Award in the 2023 Investor and Financial Education Awards from the Investor and Financial Education Council in Hong Kong SAR—China, a Bronze Stevie Award at the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards 2024 for Innovative Achievement in Corporate Social Responsibility in the Philippines, and a Special Mention in the 2024 Bisnis Indonesia Corporate Social Responsibility Awards in Indonesia.
FWD Group is a pan-Asian life and health insurance business that serves approximately 30 million customers across 10 markets, including BRI Life in Indonesia. FWD’s customer-led and digitally enabled approach aims to deliver innovative propositions, easy-to-understand products and a simpler insurance experience. Established in 2013, the company operates in some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world with a vision of changing the way people feel about insurance. For more information, please visit fwd.com.