- Over 130 companies have participated in 400 financial workshops as part of the programme
- The programme has doubled in size since 2016
- The programme is the first of its kind in the UAE and is expected to grow in size in 2019
Dubai, UAE 21 November 2018: National Bonds Corporation, the leading Sharia-compliant Savings and Investments organisation in the UAE, has today announced 14,000 employees from across 130 companies have joined the firm’s Employee Savings Programme (ESP). The programme forms part of a larger Financial Wellbeing Initiative spearheaded by National Bonds which supports local companies seeking to educate their employees on the importance of financial planning.
ESP was first launched in 2012 to encourage employees to save for their future. The unique savings plan offers an annualised return of up to 2.82% on a regular savings fund of AED100 and above within the Mudaraba investment portfolio. It also provides participants with a number of key benefits, including double the chance of winning the monthly prize of AED 1 million.
Mohammed Qasim Al Ali, Chief Executive Officer at NBC, said: “We are very proud of the success of our Employee Savings Programme. As the UAE’s leading investment company, we remain committed to instilling a culture of saving in the UAE. Education is vital on the road to economic diversification and this programme aims to increase financial literacy among individuals through their employers.
Our workshops raise awareness of finances and the role the employer must play in promoting financial literacy throughout their company. A financially literate workforce not only increases individual saving, but also can increase employee wellbeing fostered through financial stability.’’
Launched in 2012, ESP sits under the National Bonds ‘Financial Wellbeing Initiative’. As part of this, the programme organises a series of workshops for companies from both the public and private sector. These workshops provide a platform for participants to discuss the benefits of saving, wealth management, and how to better prepare for your financial future with certified National Bonds financial experts. To date, the initiative has conducted over 400 workshops for a total of 134 companies.
The top three companies which have participated in National Bonds’ Employee Savings Programme are Dubai Police, DP World, and Petrofac. Other major players that have joined the programme include Dubai Duty free, Dubai Airports, Gloria Hotels, ENOC, Medcare, Al Ain Farms, Dafza, and Al Rawabi Dairy.
Mohammed Qasim Al Ali concluded: “We have continued to see strong appetite for our workshops over the years. The workshops, as well as our ESP, are constantly evolving based on industry research, including our annual Savings Indices. In fact, the latest results found that savings continues to be priority for UAE residents, with 41% of savers in the UAE wanting to start their savings journey in 2018. We also found that the majority of respondents feel that they aren’t saving enough, highlighting a disconnection between wanting to save and having the resources or knowledge to do so. To bridge this gap, we will continue to develop unique and innovative financial tools to help employers and employees in the UAE achieve their financial goals.”
Through the workshops, employers become increasingly aware of the importance of providing their employees with a savings scheme to help safeguard their future. In turn, employees feel financially secure, they are more efficient and naturally more productive. Additionally, besides improving productivity, company-provided savings plans are also an innovative way to retain talent.
