Altiorem welcomes you to the next post within a regular series where we profile the inspiring and generous people who are making Altiorem possible.
We are excited to introduce our intern profile on the amazing Jennifer Asma.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
I am a final year student at the University of Technology Sydney studying a Bachelor of Business majoring in Finance and IT. I enjoy watching shows and movies, playing video games and listening to music.
What attracted you to Altiorem?
I first heard about Altiorem during my first year of university. Since then I remained intrigued by Altiorem’s approach to helping society shift towards a sustainable future.
During my search for an internship, I volunteered to write a research summary on the growing financial risks of tobacco. After hearing about the unique internship projects on offer, which aligned with my own interests in finance and IT, I decided to pursue an internship with Altiorem.
How have you found the experience? How was it relevant to your studies?
I thought the experience was extremely fulfilling and rewarding. It allowed me to attain an understanding of the finance industry beyond what is taught at university and it provided insight into the inner workings of different industries.
In my role, I wrote and published summaries of research relating to financial inclusion which has been an interest of mine due to its relevance to financial technology.
Financial inclusion is about improving the access people have to financial services often through innovative fintech solutions. The benefits of financial inclusion are reduced poverty rates, increases in income equality, reduced theft rates, improved well-being, and access to education and insurance.
I also had the opportunity to co-author an article titled Australian banks need to do more for financial inclusion for the Australian Shareholders Association (ASA) magazine. I worked alongside Rachel Halpern, a mentor at Altiorem. In writing the article I was able to apply my research and adapt my findings on overseas inclusive finance strategies to an Australian context. Authoring an article for ASA is a valuable opportunity offered to Altiorem interns.
Throughout my internship, I grew a deeper understanding of how finance can enable inclusion while improving my critical analysis and written communication skills. You can find all of my published research summaries on financial inclusion here.
The knowledge you gain from the research is extremely valuable not only for your skills but also how it can apply to your future.
What is the most interesting piece of research you have come across?
The most interesting piece of research I came across is by the World Bank Group titled Digital Financial Services. The research is about how digital financial services have the power to reduce poverty and bring economic growth and explored enabling strategies through case studies in India, Kenya, Tanzania and more.
It was so interesting to see what developing economies have innovated in order to connect their population with basic financial services. The case studies were in-depth and insightful and it really brings attention to how crucial it is to connect households and businesses to financial services.
What would you say to other people thinking about contributing to Altiorem?
I would say definitely go for it! You are able to have complete freedom on what topic or research summary you are passionate about from a wide selection of sustainability issues and cases. The team is very supportive and always ready to help you or to chat if needed. The knowledge you gain from the research is extremely valuable not only for your skills but also how it can apply to your future.
Keep an eye out for Jennifer and Rachel’s article Australian banks need to do more for financial inclusion coming soon to Medium.
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Altiorem is looking for volunteers to summarise sustainable finance research. If you would like to help build Altiorem please contact us here.
About Altiorem
Altiorem is the world’s first community built sustainable finance library. Altiorem collects, curates, categorises and summarises a wealth of research and tools to support sustainable finance advocates to be more effective, and the broader industry to implement the changes needed to make it a reality.
