Financial Literacy is globally recognized as an essential life skill. According to the Bhutan Royal Monetary Authority’s State of Financial Inclusion Report 2019, Bhutan’s financial inclusion in terms of savings account penetration is 68% of the adult population for 2019. There is still a considerable amount of the population that remains in the informal financial sector, and without adequate financial education programs in the country, Bhutanese people possess poor personal financial management skills such as the absence of a savings culture and lack of basic financial knowledge.

With the current downturn in the economy due to COVID-19, the Thimphu Hub Global Shapers believe personal financial management advocacy is essential to help the community make smart financial choices. The hub's primary objective is to initiate conversations, create a buzz around money, and to share real-life experiences and tips for personal financial growth.

The NgulDumb project focuses broadly on financial literacy and aims to educate the Bhutanese, specifically young adults and workforce beginners on the topic of money, personal finances, savings, credit, and investments and also highlight the financial services and products which are being provided by the Financial Institutions in Bhutan. Currently, NgulDumb has a Podcast series of six episodes and a weekly NgulDumb Learns (Info-educational) content series on our social media called #fridaysareforfinances. The team has collaborated with the Bank of Bhutan which is the oldest and the biggest commercial bank for World Savings Day and will commit towards collaborating with various financial service providers.

Short Term Goals / Results

·        Have 100 true followers

·        Reach 1k listenership on our podcast

·        Record all the episodes before the year-end

Long Term Goals / Results

·        Encourage 150 - 200 college students to open Savings accounts.

·        Encourage 50 young working adults to open Recurring Deposit accounts / Fixed Deposit.

·        Encourage 25 young working adults to invest in Shares and Crowding funding.

·        Encourage 50 young working adults (private/non-NPPF beneficiaries) to open a Provident Fund / Pension account

Available Metrics

·        Facebook, Instagram and YouTube stats on the engagements.

Collaborators

·        Financial Inclusion Unit, RMA (Central Bank)

·        Financial Institutions (esp. commercial banks)

·        BCCI / BTCI (Business community)

·        Baeyul - Entrepreneurs Association