HONOLULU, HI – November 2, 2015  – As part of their ongoing commitment to support education, First Hawaiian Bank today announced a new initiative to bring an award-winning financial literacy education program to Hawaii high school students. First Hawaiian Bank is underwriting the initial three-year pilot program and is the first Hawaii bank to partner with EverFi, Inc., the nation’s leading education technology company, to implement an interactive, web-based financial literacy course for Hawaii students at no cost to the schools or taxpayers. First Hawaiian Bank’s “MyMoney” financial literacy program is designed to provide high school students with important money management skills needed to make sound financial decisions.

“Financial literacy is a critical life skill,” said First Hawaiian Bank Foundation President, Sharon Shiroma Brown. “Concepts of savings, credit, investment, interest rates, and mortgages surround us all every day in every way.  Hawaii students need this essential knowledge to empower them to make wise financial decisions in their lives.  We are thrilled to be working with select schools of the Department of Education and EverFi to reimagine the way that financial education is taught in schools today.”

Five Hawaii High Schools will be participating in the pilot program. The First Hawaiian Bank MyMoney program is launching this Fall at Waianae, Farrington and Waipahu High Schools. Two more Hawaii high schools will be added in Spring 2016.

The web-based learning course uses the latest in new media technologies – video, animations, 3-D gaming, avatars, and social networking – to bring complex financial concepts to life for today’s digital generation. After logging in, students enter a series of virtual worlds, such as the New York Stock Exchange to learn about investing, or the floor of a bank branch to learn about checking and savings accounts. They also create a customized avatar and play a simulated Game of Life in which they are faced with real-life scenarios and can practice good financial decision-making in a safe environment.

The 10-unit course offers over six hours of programming aimed at teaching, assessing and certifying students in a variety of financial topics including credit scores, insurance, credit cards, student loans, mortgages, taxes, stocks, savings, 401Ks and other critical concepts that map to national financial literacy standards.  The learning platform uniquely tracks the progress and performance of every student and measures student knowledge gains as well as changes in attitudes and behaviors about these important issues.  Students who successfully complete the course earn a Certification in Financial Literacy, a valuable mark of distinction on college applications and resumes. EverFi works with more than 12,000 K-12 schools across the United States.

“From the small rural towns to major cities across the U.S., EverFi technology is literally transforming how students learn, and we are incredibly grateful for the public-private partnerships that make this possible,” said EverFi CEO Tom Davidson. “First Hawaiian Bank is critical to the success of our mission to ensure that these cutting-edge tools reach all communities.”

About First Hawaiian Bank
With $18.9 billion in total assets, First Hawaiian Bank is Hawaii’s largest financial institution, providing personal and business customers with banking, credit, wealth management, online and mobile banking solutions.  The bank was founded in 1858 and for over 157 years has been helping generations of customers find solutions for all of their financial needs. First Hawaiian has 57 branch locations in Hawaii, three on Guam and two in the CNMI. Learn more at www.FHB.com.

About EverFi 
EverFi, Inc. is the leading education technology company focused on teaching, assessing, and certifying K-12 and college students in the critical skills they need for life. The company teams with major corporations and foundations to provide the programs at no cost to K-12 schools. Some of America’s leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EverFi investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Twitter founder Evan Williams, Rethink Education, New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA), and Tomorrow Ventures (the investment arm of Google Chairman Eric Schmidt).  Learn more at www.everfi.com.