Without a bank account, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make payments or receive money. To avoid certain people being completely excluded, we offer the universal basic banking service. This service allows people in difficulty to perform some basic operations. The service is open to all individuals in need.
ING is also aware of the specific needs of people with mental or physical disabilities. That is why we are constantly working to improve the accessibility of our services so that all our customers can manage their personal and professional banking affairs with equal comfort and ease.
Knowing how to manage daily tasks through digital platforms has become a must nowadays. Looking up train times, viewing job vacancies, keeping in touch with your child’s school, making a doctor’s appointment, registering for a service or doing banking: it’s all digital. But 40% of Belgians struggle with a lack of digital skills, putting them at risk of digital and therefore social exclusion. Discover our actions on digital inclusion.
At ING, we want to ensure that everyone can find their place in a secure digital environment. To support digital inclusion and online safety, we have set up several services and formed important partnerships. From our ING Fund for a Digitally More Inclusive Society to our employees volunteering as ‘digital buddies’, or tips to avoid online fraud.
Every day, millions of people carry out all kinds of financial transactions: making payments, taking out loans, etc. To understand the implications of this, it is important to have basic financial knowledge. However, not all Belgians have this basic knowledge. In an affluent country like Belgium, financial illiteracy is often a ‘hidden’ problem. Half of young Belgians do not know how to manage a budget and three quarters do not know that banks use savings to grant loans.
ING wants to do its part to improve financial literacy for all. First, on all our channels, we show specific tips and tricks needed to better manage a budget. In addition, ING, together with its preferred investment fund partners - Amundi Asset Management, AXA Investment Managers, BlackRock Investment Managers, Goldman Sachs (formerly NN Investment Partners) and Schroders Investment Management - has established the Financial Literacy Fund managed by the King Baudouin Foundation. The aim of the Fund is to improve the financial literacy of the Belgian population, with a particular focus on young people, through specific initiatives: