(Text: Jerome Yau)

April 19, 2016, HONG KONG - Economic inclusion is not only a corporate buzz-word but a real strategy to tackle the social ills in developed and developing economies alike caused by the rising income inequality.

In Building an Inclusive Society Together, held at Asia Society Hong Kong Center on April 19, 2016, former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok; Wu Weixiong, Chairman of China’s Hainan Rural Credit Union (HRCU); and Francis Ngai, founder and CEO of Social Ventures Hong Kong, shared their insights on how economic inclusion could make our society more equitable. The three panelists agreed that economic inclusion should be about creating real impact, and that “everyone [should] have a fair deal of the revenue” in a cohesive society.

Building an Inclusive Society Together was the inaugural talk of the MetLife Foundation – Asia Society Economic Inclusion Series where both organizations joined forces to promote economic inclusion. Nirmala Menon, MetLife Asia’s Head of Designated Markets and Health Asia, said that it was “encouraging” to see people “talking about inclusion.” Through this collaboration, the series provides a high-level, non-partisan platform to engage leading experts in thought-provoking dialogue on attaining a more equitable economic growth and creating a better world for all.