Sample Projects

Here are examples of some of the projects we’ve worked on with valued clients and partners:

Purpose-Led Index Analytics, Impact Measurement and Strategy Innovation

The Co-operators Group Limited is a purpose-driven leading insurance and financial services co-operative with over $62 billion in assets under administration.

• Providing annual Financial Resilience Index Modelanalytics and custom reporting for Co-operators, measuring progress against its Purpose
• Providing consulting and advisory for Client Financial Resilience targets setting
• Working with the CEO, Executive Team, Board and a Client Financial Resilience Advisory Council on client financial resilience strategy and innovation initiatives
• Conducting an Employee Financial Resilience and Financial Wellness Study and proving business benefits of financial wellness innovation
• Proving the correlation between people having sufficient insurance protection and improved financial resilience outcomesfor ecosystem reports leveraging our Index;
• Measuring the impact of extreme weather events on the financial vulnerability of the FIs’ clients and communities as the FI works to foster resilience
• Providing targeted analytics and evidence on client financial resilience outcomes and business benefits of the FI offering specific products and interventions

Financial Resilience Institute and our data is included in Co-operators’ 2024 Integrated Annual Report.

Standard Chartered Bank

Standard Charted a one of the world’s leading international banks operating in over 52 markets with $US 850 BN assets in 2024, 19.6 million clients and 83,000 employees.

Following a referral from UNEP-FI, The Institute is worked with the bank globally and designed and launched market-leading Small Business Financial Health and Resilience Study for SMEs Report in India with support from the bank. This will soon be published in the bank’s UNEP-FI reporting. The Institute has helped identified opportunities for Small Business Banking, Wealth Management and improved financial inclusion and access-to-financial help for SMEs and Women-Led SMEs in India and globally, building on the bank’s leading offerings such as SC-Win.

Coast Capital

As a leading Canadian member-owned financial cooperative, Coast Capital has over $24 billion in assets as of 2024 and 600,000 members.

Coast Capital is working with the Institute to measure and accelerate its Social Purpose and innovate to achieve its business goals. Work together includes:

• Launching its inaugural Member Financial Resilience Study in partnership with the Institute to gain insight into Canadians’ and members’ financial realities and help tailor advice, education and solutions to break down barriers and drive positive change.
• The Institute publishing a leading report on Economic Inclusion and Mobility Report the intersection between economic inclusion and empowerment and financial resilience, and working with the FI on impact measurement and pilots
• Supporting other projects and strategies to catalyze positive change with our partnership featured in the Credit Union’s 2024 Purpose Impact Report.

Report on the Financial Resilience and Financial Well-Being of Canadians

Statistics Canada is the Government of Canada’s national statistical office, providing reliable data and insights to support informed decision-making.

In October 2021, Seymour Consulting (now the Institute) collaborated with Statistics Canada and published a joint report on the financial resilience and financial well-being of Canadians during the Covid-19 Pandemic for Policymakers and other stakeholders. Our organizations levered government administrative data and the Institute’s Index and Financial Well-Being studies data to provide market-leading insights and data linked to the Quality of Life Framework for Canada and goals to help build a stronger and more resilient Canada. Statistics Canada peer reviewed the Index, used to spotlight which populations were most financially vulnerable and in need of targeted support by Policymakers.

Understanding the Financial Resilience (and Vulnerability) of Low-Income Canadians

Prosper Canada is a national charity dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for low-income Canadians through financial empowerment programs and advocacy.

We have worked with Prosper Canada for many years, and drawn a light on the financial vulnerabilities of Canadians living low income. In 2021 and 2022, the Institute conducted analytics of our Index and Financial Well-Being studies data, with a boost sample of low-income Canadians, to provide insights with comparisons for 2018, 2021, and 2022 on:

• Financial stress
• Financial vulnerability
• Changing behaviours and challenges in access to financial services
• Help for Canadians with low incomes

Independent data has helped to secure $60 million dollars in federal government funding for assistance over the five years. We are also measuring the impact of financial help on Canadians living with low incomes. Key insights have been shared with NPOs and the ecosystem to provide longitudinal impact measurement and advocacy with policymakers.

Understanding Stressors and Challenges

RBC is Canada’s largest bank by market capitalization with operations in 29 countries, 101,000 employees and more than 19 million clients worldwide.

The institute has provided analytics on many stressors and challenges facing Canadians, Royal Bank customers, and those who are more financially vulnerable. These relate to challenges such as:

• Food insecurity
• Housing unaffordability
• Financial hardship

We have also provided independent tracking on the extent to which Royal Bank customers rank the bank on helping to improve their financial wellness compared to other tier-1 banks and FI’s.

Public Policy Forum

The Public Policy Forum (PPF) is a non-partisan think tank focused on improving policy outcomes in Canada.

The Institute and PPF collaborated with PPF utilizing the Institute’s Seymour Financial Resilience Index to help make the case for the need to chart a path towards economic and financial inclusion in Canada. The Institute was a key report contributor and provided data and insight for the ‘Flipping the Script’ Report created to build advocacy with Policymakers and others published in December 2024.

“Underserved” Strategy and Financial Health Innovation

Vancity is a leading global social finance organization and UNEP-FI member with over 570,000 members, 2300 employees and $36 billion in assets under management as of 2024.

The Financial Resilience Institute has worked alongside Vancity for several years on a variety of projects to foster greater financial outcomes for their communities. This includes:

• The use of the Index for Vancity’s multi-year financial health and resilience impact measurement, while providing financial health consulting and advisory on a variety of projects.
• Our team aided in the development of Vancity’s “Underserved Strategy” leading to the launch of their market-leading Fair & Fast Loan ® .
• Partnering to help develop Vancity’s strategic marketing and offerings for specific segments, such as Women Investors.

Enterprise Financial Wellness Strategy and Innovation

Conexus is one of Saskatchewan’s largest credit unions, managing $7.14 billion in funds and serving 120,000+ members across 41 branches.

The Financial Resilience Institute team collaborated with Conexus to develop their enterprise-wide Financial Wellness Strategy. How did we do this?

• Led qualitative customer research and analysis; bringing in best practices and developing the FI’s financial wellness strategic framework alongside the CEO and Senior Executive Team.
• Helped in the development of Conexus’ financial wellness value proposition, complemented with tangible proof points and detailed product and service delivery model recommendations for a different way of banking.
• Engaged employees through cross-functional wellness strategy and innovation workshops. This included Retail and Business Banking leaders, Credit, IT and Marketing, and front-line staff.
• Led strategy sessions with the Executive Team, conducting detailed gap and opportunity analysis as well as strategy-to-execution support to accelerate speed to market.

Proprietary Financial Health Index Model based on transactional banking data

We worked with Conexus to lead the development of a proprietary Financial Health Index model for the Financial Institution. Project highlights of the development of this include:

• Our expert team developed the Index Model based on transactional banking data with key indicators tested and refined by our team.
• Designed the tool for the FI to measure, score, and understand the financial health/wellness of their customers over time, while transforming the way Conexus engages and serves its customers.
• The Index model was developed following visioning sessions with Conexus’ senior leadership; with all Index modelling, design, and development led by Seymour Consulting.

The Index model is now being maintained and managed internally by Conexus, is being
fully implemented across the organization. Summary indicators within the model have
been published by Conexus here.

Small Business Financial Fitness Study, Index Analytics and Board and Leader Sessions

Servus Credit Union is a leading financial institution in Alberta leading the way to improve the financial fitness of its members.

We have worked with the Credit Union and levered the Institute’s Financial Well-Being Studies and proven methodologies to understand new ways in which the FI can innovate and support its members. Eloise Duncan has led sessions with Servus’ Executive Leadership Team and Board, Community Ambassadors and led a strategic project to help measure the small business financial health of customers when CEO at Seymour Consulting, now the Institute.