Green Link Digital Bank donates S$150,000 to SPD

TO MARK its first anniversary in Singapore, Green Link Digital Bank (GLDB) donated S$100,000 in cash and S$50,000 in medical equipment to SPD, a local charity that helps people with disabilities.

GLDB, owned by Chinese developer and state-owned enterprise Greenland Group as well as Hong Kong-listed supply chain financing platform Linklogis, is one of the first digital banks in Singapore that focused on green finance.

The event was held at Capitol Piazza on Tuesday (Jun 6) with Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development, as the guest of honour.

The S$50,000 worth of medical equipment consisted of items such as oxygen concentrators to help those with respiratory issues, and assistive technologies including magnifiers and voice-generating devices to aid the visually impaired.

“It is good that they donated this equipment to us,” said SPD’s chief executive officer, Abhimanyau Pal, adding that it is “a bit difficult” for the charity to regularly replace its equipment.

The S$100,000 in cash will go towards providing additional subsidies to clients in SPD’s programmes, he said. “These corporate donations help us make sure that our programmes remain affordable, and that every patient can access our services.”

As contributions from the private sector are crucial to sustaining SPD’s operations, the organisation is constantly collaborating with companies.

GLDB’s chairman, Geng Jing, said the bank chose to donate to SPD as it is one of Singapore’s largest charities serving people with disabilities. Since its inception in 1964, SPD has also developed a stellar reputation for its work.

Pal said SPD manages to maintain consistent donations because individuals and companies have confidence in its corporate governance structure – which is due to its transparent communication.

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“Good corporate governance is very big (on our) agenda,” said Pal. “We are transparent in our expenses, so people are confident that if they give their money, it will be used in a proper way, with the proper control.”

Ong Toon Hui, president of SPD, said she hopes the event will encourage more of such collaborations.

GLDB’s Geng added: “We hope to lead by example and demonstrate that corporations can also play a meaningful part and create positive social impacts in our community.”

Giving back to the community also helps companies boost the loyalty of their customers and employees, he added. “Customers are more likely to do business with companies that support causes they care about, and the same is true for employees, who are more likely to stick with companies whose values are aligned with theirs.”