Kembara Bijak Wang 2021 Series Attracted the Most Participants from Institutions of Higher Learning

Kuala Lumpur, 23 February 2022 – YB Dato’ Indera Mohd Shahar bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance 1, officiated the virtual closing and prize-giving ceremony of Kembara Bijak Wang (KBW) 2021—a programme for youth that aims to holistically build the foundation for their emotional, spiritual, financial, environmental, social, physical and career well-being.

The KBW 2021 series, organised by Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK) and HSBC Malaysia, marks another milestone for the programme as it garnered the highest number of participants this year. A total of 6,334 students from 58 Institutions of Higher Learning nationwide participated in the programme since its launch in November 2021.

This is a very encouraging increase from that of the previous years; the first KBW saw the participation of 4,000 undergraduates when it was launched in 2019, while the second, launched in 2020, attracted more participants—5,634 students from 42 Institutions of Higher Learning that included 22 UiTM campuses nationwide.

This year, KBW is supported by Universiti Malaysia Terengganu as a co-partner to measure the effectiveness of the programme. As last year, this year’s programme culminated in a virtual treasure hunt, held on 22 January, for the remaining 500 undergraduate students qualified for the final challenge.
KBW 3.0 officially ends today, after a four-month series of challenges that the participants went through as they competed with one another in teams. This year, the WeWantToBeBillionaire team  from Universiti  Malaya won the top prize, bringing home RM5,000. The first runner up is Putra Warriors from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), bringing home RM3,000, while the third winner is Mailo from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

In his special remarks, during the ceremony held virtually via AKPK’s official Facebook page, YB Dato’ Indera Mohd Shahar said, “Collaboration between academia and industry is crucial to create awareness on financial literacy to the people and the importance of raising financial literacy is a long-term obligation that requires the efforts and commitment of many parties to join hands together to make this happen.”

Also at the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Malaysia, Mr. Stuart Milne said, “Education is key to building long term financial health and resilience. The Kembara Bijak Wang initiative will help the next generation of Malaysians to acquire the skills that they need to thrive in an increasingly competitive economic environment. As such, we at HSBC are delighted to support this very worthwhile programme.”

Milne added, “The encouraging response to the programme, with the highest number of participants to date, is testament to the success of the initiative and is a great reflection of the crucial role institutions such as AKPK and UMT play in developing young people in Malaysia to become economically independent citizens.”

Kembara Bijak Wang programme empowers Malaysian youth with financial literacy, especially on the topic of financial management that is based on four (4) main cores— Manage, Save, Earn and Give. Participants are placed in a gaming environment where they will learn about money management as they help a fictitious alien called “Moolah” to return to his home planet.

Describing the programme, AKPK’s Chief Executive Officer, En. Azaddin Ngah Tasir said, “Kembara Bijak Wang (KBW) has always been AKPK’s special project as we aim to empower the youth of this country. Improving the financial well-being of Malaysian youths is an important priority for the country to realise our full potential as a nation.”

En. Azaddin added, “Raising financial literacy is a long-term obligation that requires sustained efforts and commitment of many parties. So it is our aim as an agency of Bank Negara Malaysia to equip individuals with the necessary financial knowledge to prepare them for what lies ahead. As we face challenges in this trying period, the right financial knowledge and skills are part of the ecosystem that builds financial resilience for us to thread the future and secure financial well-being and peace of mind.”