SC First Bank and WISET Foster Female Youth Fintech Startup Talent

Collaboration Planned Including 'Women in Fintech Academy' for Nurturing Female Young Talent in Fintech Entrepreneurship

Park Jong-bok, President of SC First Bank (left), and Ahn Hye-yeon, Director of the Korea Center for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a "Business Agreement for Fostering Female Fintech Startup Talent" at the SC First Bank headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 11th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] SC First Bank announced on the 12th that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for "collaborative social contribution activities to strengthen and revitalize fintech startup capabilities among young women" with the Korea Center for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET), under the Ministry of Science and ICT, at its headquarters located in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

As part of this agreement, SC First Bank and WISET will conduct the "Women in Fintech Academy" targeting young women interested in fintech business startups. This is SC First Bank's first startup incubating social contribution program this year, aiming to strengthen and revitalize fintech startup capabilities among young women. Participants will be recruited by the end of this month, and the program is scheduled to begin in October.

At the academy, SC First Bank plans to provide a differentiated educational program including professional mentoring by practitioners from related departments such as digital banking and information security, based on the global fintech know-how possessed by its parent company, Standard Chartered (SC) Group, and Hong Kong SC Bank. WISET will conduct startup education incorporating expertise in new industries and new technologies such as ICT and artificial intelligence (AI), and actively introduce networks of women scientists and engineers in related fields.

Park Jong-bok, CEO of SC First Bank, said, "The potential of women in digital finance and fintech, which are crucial to the future of banking, is very great," and added, "We hope that more young women will enter the fintech and digital finance sectors and have more opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities."