More than 400 people across Samoa have enhanced their financial skills, knowledge, and confidence through ANZ’s flagship financial education program, MoneyMinded.

This has been achieved in the last 12 months.

The latest milestone was celebrated during an event in Apia where participants from a recent training got a chance to meet with ANZ Group CEO Shayne Elliott and share their reflections on the programme.

The recent training included participants from Women in Business, a non-government organization dedicated to helping families develop sources of income to increase self-reliance & independence.

Mr Elliott said ANZ teams across the Pacific were committed to improving the financial well-being of local communities through the Money Minded programme.

“It’s inspiring to see how this initiative is fostering a savings culture in Samoa. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to see first-hand the positive impact it’s having in local communities,” he said.

ANZ Samoa Country Head, Sucharu Tandon said the thing that has stood out to him was the commitment from the people at ANZ Samoa to improving the financial wellbeing of their local communities, to see them thrive.

“We've seen a significant year-on-year increase in MoneyMinded participation, as people embrace the opportunity to improve their financial literacy,” he said.

Women in Business Executive Director Adimaimalaga Tafuna’i emphasised the program’s value.

“This initiative empowers women and farmers by enhancing their financial literacy and equipping them with the tools to make informed financial decisions,” she said.

“Teaching better financial habits and goal setting aligns perfectly with our mission to support local businesses, and it’s rewarding to see participants leave the training with renewed optimism.”

Mr Tandon confirmed that ANZ will continue to expand MoneyMinded to additional communities across Samoa.