Leafea Partners with Shimizu Bank to Launch Initiative to Promote Regional Economy with Community-Based Employee Benefit Service 'Fukurira'

Leafea Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Wataru Morita), a provider of community-based employee benefit services, will begin a partnership with Shimizu Bank (Head Office: Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture; President: Yasuhiro Iwayama). Starting Wednesday, April 1st, Shimizu Bank will begin handling the community-based employee benefit service "Fukurira," aiming for regional revitalization and to support hardworking individuals.

Background and Purpose of the Partnership

In recent years, against the backdrop of labor shortages and rising personnel costs, challenges related to corporate human resources have been increasing, leading to a growing interest in improving employee retention and satisfaction.

Shimizu Bank, with its purpose to "love the region, think together about the future of our customers, and co-create," has focused on employee benefits that can stimulate local consumption and realize substantial wage increases even for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The community-based employee benefit service provided by Leafea (app name: "Fukurira") is a service that supports company employees by enhancing their benefits, often called the "third wage increase." Through the app, it provides gift rewards to employees and coupons that their families can also use, and is designed to help improve job satisfaction and engagement for employees of adopting companies.

As the number of participating local stores increases, "Fukurira" becomes a more familiar and community-based benefit for employees. Furthermore, utilizing region-specific gifts promotes economic circulation within the area, leading to the revitalization of the entire region. Shimizu Bank and Leafea will continue to cooperate to contribute to such regional activation.

About "Fukurira"

The employee benefit service "Fukurira" provided by Leafea is a system where companies pay a monthly fee, allowing their employees to use discount benefits at over 100,000 affiliated stores nationwide. Furthermore, it is designed to allow companies to send "gifts with messages" (*) expressing gratitude and encouragement to employees, fostering a sense of connection in daily life.

In addition to a 10% discount at convenience stores, it also provides an all-in-one stress check function, which is scheduled to become mandatory in the future, realizing comprehensive employee benefits that include mental and physical care.

As a benefits app that can achieve high utilization rates at one of the industry's lowest costs, the number of adopting companies is steadily increasing, and data showing a connection to improved employee engagement is beginning to emerge. Its high cost-performance and contribution to creating a better working environment are major features.

(*) Can be used by exchanging for tickets valid at affiliated stores.