While Singapore seeks to build a digitally inclusive society, gaps still exist - especially in areas of digital skills & usage of tech. It is more critical than ever to intensify support for the less digitally-savvy & foster an inclusive society where no one is left behind. The urgent need to scale up digital literacy amid a rapidly-evolving digital world led to DBS Foundation inking a strategic two-year partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) in 2022:
- DBSF contributing SGD 1M (including $-for-$ govt matching) to the Digital for Life (DfL) Fund, providing grants for non-profit organisations to drive digital inclusion projects
- Mobilising ~2.5K DBS employees to run up to 800 digital literacy workshops to help participants in digital banking & payments, how to spot & avoid scams, etc., with IMDA’s Digital Ambassadors supplementing with other digital topics (e.g. SingPass, Scam Shield), volunteers from both sides worked together to provide beneficiaries with wholesome learning experience
- Co-developing & enhancing digital literacy curriculum to tailor needs of vulnerable segments (seniors, youth & special needs individuals etc.)
- Unlocking new communication channels & partner platforms to accelerate digital adoption
With an aim to reach some 100K beneficiaries over two years (2023 – 2024), this common goal of driving digital inclusion in SG by DBSF & IMDA leverages each other's strengths & expertise. The partnership showcases the power of public-private collaborations in achieving impactful societal inclusivity and advancing national agendas.
Through the strategic partnership, below is a summary of our collective efforts to drive digital inclusion in SG. We exceeded the original scope by innovating novel ways to engage the community, while ensuring we stay atop evolving digital trends:
Digital Workshops
- >500 workshops held with support of >1K DBS volunteers. Train-the-trainer sessions arranged to ensure DBS volunteers were well-equipped. IMDA’s Digital Ambassadors supplement with other digital topics. Volunteers from both sides collaborated to provide beneficiaries with wholesome learning experience
- Digital workshops held in various neighbourhood settings (e.g. community centres, bank branches, hawker centres) that seniors frequent, in schools to engage children/ youth, & special education schools for persons with disabilities
- In August 2023, faced with challenge of reaching seniors effectively through traditional methods, a new initiative "Your Neighbourhood Getai" was launched. This innovative approach combines Getai entertainment, a popular form of live music performance among seniors, with digital literacy education.
- Each event featured live Getai performances integrated with practical dig lit tips, to make learning enjoyable for seniors. Additionally, onsite workshops provided where DBS volunteers assisted seniors to improve their digital skills.
- This enabled us to reach more seniors (800% vs typical workshop room) and engage them in an environment they’re comfortable with, in a fun way, filled with nostalgic “kampung” (or community) spirit. We successfully reached >2.8K seniors over 7 events.
Digital for Life Fund Projects
- Partnered IMDA to develop problem statements to guide & inspire individuals/non-profits to kickstart their own dig lit projects. High-potential projects were identified via stringent selection process; two were later sponsored & supported by DBSF:
1. Metta Welfare Association
Empower special needs individuals to equip them with essential knowledge & skills to navigate the digital world
2. Guide Dogs Singapore (GDS)
Awareness & adoption of tech in daily living for Visually Impaired Persons - accessibility solutions to perform digital tasks like banking & shopping apps
Co-Creation of Curriculum
- To effectively reach a different segment of beneficiaries, DBSF co-created digital literacy curriculum with IMDA. DBSF worked on developing and executing a nationwide programme to grow basic, advanced, & elective digital skills in the Banking & Finance space, especially among vulnerable segments. Sample topics include:
Topics by DBSF: Transacting (SGQR, e-banking, digital payment etc.), scam awareness & parental controls
Topics by IMDA: Co-create digital financial scam tips, & other digital skills e.g. Singpass
Anti-Scam Quiz
- With the rising scams in SG, there was an urgent & increasing need to raise awareness & education against scams. DBSF partnered Cyber Security Agency of SG in September 2023 to co-design and launch a new quiz and tips to test the community’s anti-scam quotient, keep them abreast of latest scam issues/tactics in banking, and equipping them with know-how to protect themselves. DBSF leveraged its IMDA partnership to roll out the quiz at digital workshops and other touchpoints.
- The quiz has since reached >4K people (59% aged 50 years & above). 82% of those reached expressed higher level of confidence to bank digitally (vs 60% before attempting the quiz)
As of July 2024, the partnership has already collectively reached & impacted the lives of >90K beneficiaries – on track to exceed our 100K target by end 2024.
Through our digital workshops, surveys were conducted with >1K participants (1-3 months after)
- 100% now more confident to apply new skills
- 93% completed at least 1 cashless transaction since
- 96.5% found it easy to do cashless transactions
- 97% found volunteers engaging & helpful
"Your Neighbourhood Getai” also showed positive results:
- Engagement Rate: 800% increase in engaged seniors
- Cashless Payments: Most hawker centres where these events were held saw increase in DBS cashless transactions (avg 12% increase), suggesting seniors more confident to bank digitally – also boosting sales for hawkers
We are encouraged by recent studies (incl. IMDA’s Singapore Digital Society Report 2023) that suggest such digital inclusion efforts in the community prove to be effective. Notably, more seniors are becoming comfortable with digital transactions – seniors using online payments more than doubled from 38% in 2018 to 78% in 2022.
Beyond the numbers, stories shared by beneficiaries/volunteers illustrate our impact. Example:
“Moh Fong Kee (76) has always overseen all payments for his family. He’s aware of the convenience of cashless payments and keen to learn, but was extremely apprehensive of new technology. Having attended a digital workshop, he learned how to set up his account and picked up necessary skills to go digital - he now confidently goes cashless at his family’s favourite hawker stalls, and stays vigilant against scams.”
Video for DBS Foundation x IMDA Partnership
