[Edaily Reporter Kang Min-koo ] kakaopay(377300)is launching a digital financial education program for 1,000 seniors nationwide to bridge the digital divide among the elderly and improve their access to financial services.

Starting on the 24th and continuing through October, kakaopay will run “Sagak Sagak Face School” senior classes at 50 welfare institutions for middle-aged and elderly people nationwide.

This year’s call for applications attracted 130 institutions nationwide, resulting in a competition rate of approximately 2.6 times the number of available spots. The 50 institutions ultimately selected are: △18 in Seoul and Gyeonggi △10 in Busan and South Gyeongsang △5 in Daejeon and Chungcheong △5 in Gwangju and South Jeolla △5 in Daegu and North Gyeongsang △3 in Jeonju and North Jeolla △3 in Chuncheon and Gangwon △1 in Jeju.

The “Sagak Sagak Face School” senior class is a mutually beneficial financial education program launched by kakaopay in collaboration with Kakao Impact and the Senior Financial Education Council to support older adults who face difficulties using digital financial services. Since its inception in 2023, the program has provided theoretical courses to help participants understand digital transformation, as well as hands-on training focused on practical skills—such as mobile payments, MyData, and methods for preventing digital financial fraud—that are useful in seniors’ daily lives.

This year, the curriculum has been enhanced to incorporate training on the use of AI in finance, in line with the rapidly changing IT landscape. A new module has been added where senior participants can directly experience and utilize kakaopay’s flagship AI financial service, “AI Coach,” helping them become more familiar with the latest AI financial technologies and enabling them to safely apply these skills in their daily lives.

kakaopay is also co-hosting the “National Senior AI Golden Bell Contest” in partnership with Kakao’s “Mobile Senior Digital School.” This event is an official participant in the private-sector track and senior division of the “National AI Competition” hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT. It is sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Kakao, and kakaopay; organized by Kakao Impact; and conducted in collaboration with the Senior Financial Education Council and the Korea Association of Comprehensive Senior Welfare Centers.

Students enrolled in the “Sagak Sagak Face School” senior classes will all participate in the preliminary rounds held during the course after the semester begins. A total of 64 representative students from 16 institutions nationwide, selected through the preliminaries, will compete in the online finals scheduled for October 15.

Lee Yoon-geun, Chair of the kakaopay ESG Council, stated, “As the digital financial environment becomes more sophisticated, the foundational skills needed to understand and safely utilize new financial technologies are becoming increasingly important.” He added, “We will spare no effort in supporting seniors so they can adapt more proactively and independently to the changing digital society, including through the introduction of AI financial service education.”