Financial Education initiatives
1. Conducting Financial Literacy Classes
In line with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and other key factors, our group is dedicated to activities aimed at achieving a sustainable society, with a special focus on enhancing financial literacy.Recognizing the importance of acquiring financial and contractual knowledge from a young age, we initiated financial literacy education in 2018.
Our company continues to work towards nurturing future responsible cardholders through education about money, including credit cards, specifically for high school and university students.
Since FY 2021, we have been implementing these initiatives in various regions, primarily through our nationwide branches.
With the advancement of cashless payments and the lowering of the adult age, we have seen an increase in offers from educational institutions and are committed to further strengthening our efforts.
AEON Bank, Ltd. has been actively providing high-quality financial education and lifelong learning opportunities, targeting university students. Since FY 2021, to expand our financial education offerings, administrative functions were transferred to AEON Financial Service, Ltd. We have since been collaboratively working on comprehensive financial literacy education initiatives across our group.AFS Academy has taken over administrative functions since March 2023.
2. Establishment of AFS Academy
In March 2023, we founded the "AFS Academy" as an educational and training institution to offer learning opportunities both internally and externally. Amid various management challenges, such as responding to rapid digitalization, and the diversification of individual perspectives and work styles due to changes in the social environment, acquiring knowledge through reskilling has become necessary.
Based on AEON's philosophy that "education is the greatest welfare," we actively invest in human resources by offering learning opportunities. AFS Academy also serves as the group-wide administrative office for promoting financial literacy education for university students. It dispatches employees belonging to the academy as lecturers to conduct classes and manage courses, including student evaluations.
To further contribute to the realization of a sustainable society through the promotion of SDGs, we aim to expand these initiatives into courses for external organizations, strengthening our efforts as a unified group.
3. Activities with the AEON 1% Club Foundation
Our company, AEON Bank, Ltd., AEON Housing Loan Service Co., Ltd., AEON Insurance Service Co., Ltd., and ACS Credit Management Co., Ltd. contribute an amount equivalent to 1% of pre-tax profits to the AEON 1% Club Foundation.
Alongside other major companies in the AEON Group, we support the activities of the AEON 1% Club, which are based on three pillars: "sound development of youth to lead the next generation," "promotion of friendship and goodwill with foreign countries," and "sustainable development of local communities."
In FY 2022, we sponsored the "Exciting Cashless Experience" event organized by the AEON 1% Club, held at AEON Mall Makuhari Shintoshin and AEON Mall Fukuoka. This event aimed to widely introduce the convenience of cashless payments and provide children with opportunities to think about the future of money. A total of 2,392 children and their families participated in the event, where they enjoyed quizzes about money and experienced cashless payments, thus understanding the convenience and benefits of such transactions.
Alongside other major companies in the AEON Group, we support the activities of the AEON 1% Club, which are based on three pillars: "sound development of youth to lead the next generation," "promotion of friendship and goodwill with foreign countries," and "sustainable development of local communities." This event, part of the AEON Cheers Club activities by the AEON 1% Club, aims to "foster the healthy development of youth to lead the next generation" and will continue in FY 2023.
