Sony Bank Conducts "GIVING for FUTURE" Financial Education Program at Elementary School in Saku City, Nagano, Teaching Crowdfunding for Community Contribution

On April 24, 2026, Sony Bank Inc. conducted a financial education class, "GIVING for FUTURE," for 26 sixth-grade students at Hirane Elementary School in Saku City, Nagano Prefecture, teaching them about the role of money and crowdfunding. The sixth graders are engaged in the "Cherry Blossom Project for the Future" as part of their integrated studies, aiming to contribute to the community by utilizing a fallen cherry tree that was over 130 years old. In response to the challenges of financial education at home, Sony Bank implemented this program in collaboration with the school. The class featured a talk on the roles of money by Mr. Shigeyuki Tanaka, representative of Co-Work-A, followed by a lecture and group work on crowdfunding led by Sony Bank. A message of support was also shared from Mr. Shingo Nakamura of Nakamura Co., Ltd., a company that utilized Sony Bank's investment-style crowdfunding platform, "Sony Bank GATE." Leveraging its expertise, Sony Bank has developed a program that allows children to take on donation-based crowdfunding challenges, providing full support through website creation assistance and covering payment processing fees. The sixth graders of Hirane Elementary School are scheduled to begin soliciting broad support on a special website starting June 1, 2026. This initiative contributes to the Sony Financial Group's key sustainability goals of "Financial education for all" and "Vibrant local communities."