Singapore, 15 March 2023: The Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards (MAIA) today welcomed Singapore Management University’s Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) onboard as official Knowledge Partner for three years. SKBI is also the exclusive sponsor of MAIA’s newest award category for green financial literacy education, which will now be named “The Sim Kee Boon Institute for Sustainable Finance Literacy Prize”. The winner of the award will receive a prize of S$1,000.

Launched in 2022, the MAIAs recognise and celebrate initiatives aimed at solving the problem of weak financial literacy. Open to individuals and organisations, including corporates, NGOs academics and influencers, the inaugural awards saw 150 entries vying for recognition across 12 categories, such as Best for Profit School Age project, Best Influencer and Best Academic Research. Rewarded entries last year ranged from research into gamifying education, to empowering migrant works via interactive fin-lit education and ‘How To’ videos created by a 12-year-old influencer.

Dave Fernandez, SKBI Director and Professor of Finance (Practice) says, “As an academic institute whose key areas of focus are financial inclusion and literacy, sustainable finance and financial technology, we are pleased to be a part of the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards. We are strong believers in the need to facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices. The MAIAs offer a new and dynamic platform to achieve this worldwide.”

Michael Gilmore, Founder of the MAIA commented, “There is an urgent need to improve society’s ‘green’ financial knowledge and skills, among both large investors but also small savers, retail customers, entrepreneurs or non-profit organisations, to ensure we can all accurately assess climate-related risk and opportunities moving forward. SKBI is doing some incredibly impressive work in this space, and we are therefore honoured to have their support for the MAIA new green financial literacy award.”

The MAIAis are accepting entries until 28 March this year, with submissions open across ten verticals, including the new green financial literacy education category. Submissions are free for all entries by individuals, non-profit and in the special category awards.

Visit enter.maiawards.org to enter. The awards will be held in May.

About the MAIAs:

Founded by Gilmore and Trudi Harris, the MAIAs were devised as the first global body aiming to solve the problem of weak financial literacy experienced all over the world, by finding and celebrating the best solutions aimed at ‘making money better’ for people. Contact michael@www.maiawards.org for more details.

About the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics:

The Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics at SMU (SKBI) is the premier Asian institute for applied financial economics research and training. This is done through multidisciplinary collaborations involving research talent from the SMU community, around the world as well as industry. The institute’s focus is in the area of financial education and inclusion, sustainable finance, financial technology, and macro markets.