Digital inclusion initiative to support newly arrived immigrants

A partner in Telia’s initiative Digital i Sverige

Nordea also has a long-standing collaboration with Telia to help the elderly feel more comfortable using digital services. In December 2022 the scope of the initiative was expanded to include newly arrived immigrants. Nordea is a partner to Telia in the initiative Digital i Sverige (in Swedish), that aims to increase knowledge of digital services and tools and how they are used in society, as well as answering questions and providing practical tips. The initiative is Telia's third when it comes to increasing digital inclusion in Sweden. This is also a focus area in Telia's sustainability efforts.

”It can be challenging for newly arrived immigrants to quickly grasp how Swedish society works. We have gotten some positive feedback on our events, both in terms of the execution and how efficient they are. Banking, payment and identification services in particular are at the core of digitalisation. Meeting Nordea's volunteers face-to-face and getting access to their expert knowledge helps people feel more secure in this area,” says Åsa Kåryd, marketing responsible for digital inclusion at Telia. 

Nordea employees contribute with their expert knowledge

All Nordea employees can spend 16 hours of their paid working hours per year on volunteer work. One who has seized the opportunity is Mustafa Naama, in his daily work a team leader working with middleware solutions and integration platforms. He volunteered at one of Telia's events in Huddinge, a Stockholm suburb. Mustafa was born and raised in Iraq and came as an immigrant to the Netherlands in 1998. He migrated to Sweden in 2010. 

Mustafa has always considered it a matter of course to contribute in any way he can. At a refugee centre in the Netherlands, he supported other newly arrived immigrants by providing translations and improving their computer skills. He sees volunteering as an opportunity to share his experiences. He is also familiar with the questions that the newly arrived often have. Mustafa speaks both English and Arabic, and was able to support the participants using the language that they understood best.

“As a newly arrived immigrant you often feel lost, so it is important to get the right support from the start. There may also be cultural differences in areas like pension, insurance and savings. During the event we also talked about security measures to prevent fraud. As a bank, we can provide information that will help them avoid the worst pitfalls,” says Mustafa Naama. 

Mustafa Naama feels that it is important for large companies to be engaged, as it builds trust. Encouraging employees to contribute to society is great and he himself has already used his volunteering hours this year. 

“When you talk about sustainability it is important to remember the S in ESG. Nordea is a part of society and I see it as our duty to contribute when and where we can. By participating in initiatives like this, we really make a difference.” 

Since the launch, eleven events have been held in Stockholm, with a total of almost 400 participants. It will continue during the autumn, and one event was in Botkyrka on 29 September.