Media OutReach
Prudential Study Finds Financial Wellbeing Tapers with Age Across Asia
Respondents aged 18-35 record the highest score at 59.8 out of 100, falling to 57.7 among those aged 50-60
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 5 March 2026 – Financial confidence and preparedness are highest among younger adults in Asia and decrease in later life stages, according to new research by Prudential plc (“Prudential”), the leading Asia and Africa insurer. Results show that respondents aged 18-35 score 59.8 out of 100 in financial wellbeing, compared with 58.2 for those between the ages of 36-49 and 57.7 among those aged 50-60.
The findings form the basis for Prudential’s inaugural Financial Wellbeing Index, a regional barometer of how people in Asia are managing their finances today and how ready they feel for tomorrow. Measured from four dimensions – present financial security, future financial security, present financial freedom and future financial freedom – it combines attitudes, behaviours and expectations into a single score to indicate level of wellbeing.
Opportunity to Strengthen Financial Wellbeing
Despite nearly half of all respondents (46 per cent) rating their financial wellbeing as good or above, the index this year records an overall score of 58.9, pointing to a broad-based opportunity to strengthen confidence and preparedness.
While those aged 18-35 express stronger optimism towards their financial future, concerns around job stability and family health remain prominent. In contrast, respondents aged 50-60 are most concerned about their physical health deteriorating and rising costs of necessities such as food, clothing, power and transport, reflecting the financial and health‑related pressures that tend to intensify later in life.
From Coping Today to Confidence Tomorrow
The research also reveals a disconnect between day‑to‑day stability and long‑term financial freedom, defined as the level of preparedness for meeting financial goals. While people feel relatively secure in the present (61.7), their confidence in future financial freedom is significantly lower (55.2), suggesting that many are managing in the short term but do not feel fully equipped to sustain choices and absorb financial shocks over the longer run.
Notably, only one in three respondents (34 per cent) say they do not need to keep earning in their retirement years. Fewer than half (47 per cent) feel secure when thinking about their financial future, while only 45 per cent believe they could handle a major unexpected expense. This gap continues to widen across later life stages, highlighting the importance of early financial preparation, ongoing education and long-term planning in achieving financial freedom and sustained wellbeing.
Market Differences and Challenge in Access
Across the region, Vietnam records the highest overall financial wellbeing score at 65.1, supported by the highest number of respondents (66 per cent) who strongly or slightly agree they have access to financial services and products that enable long-term financial planning. Indonesia (62.0) and Thailand (60.4) follow closely, with respondents in both markets also reporting among the highest levels of financial knowledge, access to services and planning for long‑term success. On the other hand, those in Hong Kong, which scores the lowest for financial wellbeing at 52.5, are the least satisfied with their access.
Overall, access to financial solutions remains limited: only 18 per cent strongly agree they have what they need to achieve financial success – a disparity that amplifies the challenge of building optimal financial wellbeing and can compound over time.
Bridging the Gap
Angel Ng, Regional CEO, Greater China; Group Customer, Wealth and Product, Prudential plc, said: “Longer lifespans across Asia are transforming expectations around financial wellbeing. Customers today are looking beyond financial products – they want confidence, clarity, and a partner who would guide them towards a future that they can genuinely look forward to. At Prudential, we believe financial planning is not just about preparing for later years; it is about enabling wellbeing at every stage of life. We are committed to empowering our customers and communities with the knowledge, advice and protection to help them build resilience early, safeguard what matters through life’s transitions, and enjoy healthy, fulfilling and financially confident longevity.”
Aimed at addressing gaps in financial education and laying the foundation for wellbeing, Cha-Ching, the award-winning financial literacy programme by Prudence Foundation, the community investment arm of Prudential plc, has reached over 4 million students and teachers in classrooms across Asia and Africa. The Cha-Ching curriculum, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, helps children aged 7-12 build essential financial literacy skills. A new digital-first financial literacy programme for adults is also under development, designed to support participants on their pathway to financial security and freedom.
As individuals and families in Asia continue to navigate their financial futures, Prudential will continue to broaden access to protection through sustainable, inclusive offerings that promote greater resilience and build lasting confidence across life stages.
Find out more about the index in our insight article.
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About the Financial Wellbeing Index
The index measures the financial wellbeing of 7,707 adults aged 18-60 across four dimensions: “Present Financial Security”, “Future Financial Security”, “Present Financial Freedom”, and “Future Financial Freedom”. It was conducted in September-December 2025 across eight Asian markets (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam) through an online quantitative survey.
About Prudential plc
Prudential provides life and health insurance and asset management in Greater China, ASEAN, India and Africa. Prudential’s mission is to be the most trusted partner and protector for this generation and generations to come, by providing simple and accessible financial and health solutions. The business has dual primary listings on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (HKEX: 2378) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: PRU). It also has a secondary listing on the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX: K6S) and a listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: PUK) in the form of American Depositary Receipts. It is a constituent of the Hang Seng Composite Index and is also included for trading in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect programme and the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect programme.
Prudential is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial, Inc. a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America, nor with The Prudential Assurance Company Limited, a subsidiary of M&G plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom.
Asia’s first Design & Innovation Festival announces its venue and key speakers — where Japanese design expertise meets the cultural diversity of Asia
| Name | SYNC Design & Innovation in SITE 2026 |
| Date | Friday, June 26, 2026 |
| Venue | Paragon Hall, 5th Floor, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Admission | Free (advance registration required) |
| Languages | Thai / English / Japanese |
| Website | https://syncforum.asia |
| Organizer | Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. |
| Production & Co-organizers | FOURDIGIT Inc., National Innovation Agency (NIA), Thailand |
| Supported by | Creative Economy Agency (CEA) |
| Production partners | Y’s Connection Inc., J-WAVE, Inc., iDID |
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Code4Mzansi highlights the growing strength of South Africa’s developer ecosystem and the role of youth-led innovation in shaping the country’s digital future
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 May 2026 – South Africa’s emerging developers are building close to the ground, with many of the strongest solutions at the inaugural Huawei Code4Mzansi finals focused on systems people use every day: township retail, healthcare, energy, agriculture, payments and the creative economy.
The competition was held in partnership with the Department of Small Business Development. “The Code4Mzansi competition is not just a celebration of achievement, it is a launchpad for the future,” said Minister Stella Ndabeni, whose department co-hosted the event and delivered the closing address.
The finals revealed a clear shift from building abstract digital products to practical tools that help small businesses trade better, communities access services more easily, and local industries solve problems faster.
Four finalist teams focused directly on the township economy, with solutions covering food safety verification for spaza shops, offline point-of-sale systems built for load-shedding, WhatsApp-native marketplaces for informal retailers, and community credit systems for SASSA grant recipients.
Others addressed AI-driven healthcare access, electricity theft detection, smart agriculture, financial infrastructure for the creator economy, and AI-generated African music.
Held at Huawei Office Park in Woodmead, the finals brought together more than 100 attendees, including government representatives, academic partners, industry leaders and media.
“The quality of the finalist solutions demonstrated the potential of local innovation to respond to real market needs,” said Steven Chen, Cloud CEO of Huawei Technologies South Africa.
Academic partners included the University of Pretoria, the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and technology is their greatest accelerator. The participants here today are future entrepreneurs who will drive South Africa’s digital economy forward,” said Professor Thokozani Shongwe, Vice Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Internationalisation at the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
Industry partner rain also attended. Leon Nortje, Principal and Senior Architect at rain, said the competition offered a strong view of the country’s emerging technology pipeline.
“It is always good to see new projects and new teams working on solutions that are valuable and industry-related. We will be looking out for potential new employees,” said Nortje.
The winners
The finalists competed for a prize pool of R800,000. MAAT by SIMVAK was named the overall grand winner and received the Business Value Award, taking home R300,000. The platform addresses food safety and regulatory compliance in South Africa’s informal retail sector through AI agents, real-time product recall alerts, and counterfeit detection for the spaza shop ecosystem.
“The spaza network is the supply chain for most South African households,” said SIMVAK founder Shingirayi Mandebvu.
HealthHive by FTCK received second prize in the Business Value Award category, taking home R200,000, for its AI telemedicine platform that matches patients with the right medical practitioners based on their symptoms.
Auraa received the Grand Innovation Award for its AI music engine built to generate authentic African sound. The platform has been associated with an album that has crossed one million streams.
The Future Star Award went to e-Khadi, a community credit and stokvel platform giving SASSA grant recipients access to essentials at their local spaza shops, supported by AI-assisted credit scoring and fraud detection.
The People’s Choice Award, voted by the public on Huawei’s social media channels, went to DevRift, a semi-finalist in the competition, who took home R100,000.
Minister Ndabeni delivered the closing address, positioning Code4Mzansi within the government’s agenda for youth entrepreneurship, small business development and digital inclusion.
“Our task is to ensure that innovation does not remain a moment of applause, but becomes a pathway to enterprise creation, digital inclusion, and sustainable growth,” she said.
“Thank you to Huawei for being a perfect partner on the journey that we are travelling, and of course, those that matter most, the developers who dared to compete,” she said.
Code4Mzansi forms part of the global Huawei Cloud Developer Competition. In its inaugural edition, South Africa attracted more participants than any other country: 1,041 across 353 teams, including 176 enterprise teams, resulting in the highest enterprise participation rate among all competing markets. Twenty semi-finalists were selected before the top nine advanced to the final.
For the finalists, the work is just beginning. As Minister Ndabeni said, “Go home today proud. But tomorrow, wake up, build again.”
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About Huawei
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With 213,000 employees operating in over 170 countries, we serve more than three billion people worldwide.
Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every person, home, and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world. In 2025, Huawei generated CNY880.9 billion in revenue, reinvesting 21.8% (CNY192.3 billion) into R&D, with about 53.7% of its employees working in R&D. As a private company fully owned by its employees, Huawei focuses on customer-centric innovation and open collaboration to create lasting value and drive technological breakthroughs globally.
For more information, please visit Huawei online at www.huawei.com or follow us on:
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Congratulating Dr Lai on her achievement, John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said that the HKSAR can “transform from a ‘supporter’ of the country’s great aerospace endeavours into an ‘executor’ “.
“This not only demonstrates the HKSAR’s capability in contributing to the country’s development into an aerospace power, but also showcases how Hong Kong could better integrate into and serve the overall national development,” Mr Lee said.
“This mission is of great significance, as it is not only the first manned spaceflight mission during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, but also the first time for a payload expert from the HKSAR to participate in it.”
The Shenzhou-23 crew will conduct on-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-21 crew. The crew, including Dr Lai, will stay in the space station and conduct multiple experiments and applications in various fields such as scientific applications.
The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, Professor Sun Dong, led a delegation to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to witness this historic moment. Members of the delegation included other government representatives, I&T experts, youths and students.
“I truly believe this is a great demonstration of Hong Kong integrating into and serving the overall national development through concrete actions, while contributing our strength in I&T,” Professor Sun said.
” ‘Science and technology is primary productive force, talent is primary resource, and innovation is primary driver of growth.’ The HKSAR Government will continue to drive the development of I&T, accelerate the establishment of an international I&T centre, and make greater contributions to building our nation into a strong power in science, technology, and aerospace.”
Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, Mr Ivan Lee, said that the Government had been providing funding support for universities and research institutions in conducting aerospace technology-related projects through the Innovation and Technology Fund.
“In 2024, we launched a special call for funding applications, inviting universities to submit project proposals related to aerospace technology. Following a selection process, we supported six projects. Among them was the Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory (MUSICO) developed by a team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,” he said.
On the Tiangong Space Station, Dr Lai will conduct experiments including operating the MUSICO — the world’s first lightweight, high-resolution synergistic observatory for carbon dioxide and methane emission point sources.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr Lai is a Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force. In the recruitment exercise of China’s fourth batch of preparatory astronauts launched in 2022, she was successfully selected as a payload expert and was deployed to the China Astronaut Research and Training Center for training.
Before embarking on the historic spaceflight, Dr Lai expressed hope that it would inspire more Hong Kong youths to devote themselves to the field of I&T, thereby contributing to the country’s scientific and technological self-reliance and strength.
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