Equifax and Junior Achievement Americas Expand Financial Inclusion Program in Latin America, Reaching Thousands of Adolescents and Parents with Positive Message About Credit

ATLANTA, June 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Equifax, Inc., a global information solutions company, today announced plans to expand its unique, regional financial inclusion and financial education program, 'EduACCIÓN Financiera' in tandem with Junior Achievement Americas, the world's largest organization dedicated to educating students about workforce readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy through experiential, hands-on programs.

The two organizations say their "EduACCIÓN Financiera" program, which is being launched in Argentina, Chile and Peru this year and expanded in El Salvador, Paraguay and Uruguay will reach thousands of students preparing to enter university.  The curriculum will focus on the importance of financial education – a major issue affecting Latin America today – but will also aim to provide additional tools and training to the parents of youth through community outreach and a special credit 101 seminar.

President of Equifax Latin America, Chris Jones said, "We are excited to enter the second year of this partnership with tremendous momentum after the successes we experienced in 2016. The feedback from the schools, students, and volunteers who participated in last year's program was unanimous – although we have started to make a positive impact in the communities where we live and work – there's still much more to be done. With nearly 70% of Latin America's population unbanked or underbanked, focusing ourselves on financial inclusion in all that we do continues to be of the highest importance for our organization.  As trusted stewards and advocates for consumers, we believe that helping students and families to better understand their financial future is critical to reinforcing the credit industry's positive and profound effects on financial inclusion.  'EduACCIÓN Financiera' by Equifax and Junior Achievement Americas is helping us to do just that with a real-world approach and impactful, tangible results."

Leo Martellotto, President of Junior Achievement Americas continued, "'EduACCIÓN Financiera' is an excellent combination of technical, financial, and life skills training that is critical to youth development. This year, Equifax is allowing us to expand a high-impact initiative for Latin America and for thousands of young people who will be better prepared for their future and to contribute to the global economy. We are extremely proud of this new opportunity."

Equifax first launched its partnership with Junior Achievement Americas in 2016 in El Salvador, Paraguay and Uruguay, reaching 1600 students across the region.  In 2017, Equifax will continue EduACCIÓN Financiera in those three countries and also launch in Argentina, Chile and Peru reaching more than 2800 adolescents and their parents – representing significant growth in just one year.

About Equifax

Equifax is a global information solutions company that uses trusted unique data, innovative analytics, technology and industry expertise to power organizations and individuals around the world by transforming knowledge into insights that help make more informed business and personal decisions. The company organizes, assimilates and analyzes data on more than 820 million consumers and more than 91 million businesses worldwide, and its database includes employee data contributed from more than 7,100 employers.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe and the Asia Pacific region. It is a member of Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500® Index, and its common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol EFX. Equifax employs approximately 9,700 employees worldwide.

Some noteworthy achievements for the company include: Named to the Top 100 American Banker FinTech Forward list (2015-2016); named a Top Technology Provider on the FinTech 100 list (2004-2016); named an InformationWeek Elite 100 Winner (2014-2015); named a Top Workplace by Atlanta Journal Constitution (2013-2016); named one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies (2011-2015); named one of Forbes' World's 100 Most Innovative Companies (2015-2016). For more information, visit www.equifax.com.

About Junior Achievement Americas

As part of one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs, JA Americas activates youth for the future of jobs. Through the delivery of hands-on, blended learning in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship, we empower young people to grow their entrepreneurial ideas, hone their work skills, manage their earnings, and secure better lives for themselves, their families, and their communities.  With 31 countries, the JA Americas network is powered by over 38,000 volunteers and mentors, who serve more than 1 million young people each year. More information at www.jaamericas.org

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Equifax
Meredith Griffanti
Media Relations
+1 678 367 8174
[email protected]

Junior Achievement Americas
Hernan Zocco
Media Relations
+ 54 9351 3118789 
[email protected] 

SOURCE Equifax Inc.