Spotlight on FIS

FIS is committed to lifting companies and communities

By the end of 2020, more than 110,000 restaurants across the US had been forced to close by COVID-19. Many of those remaining have shrunk their staff and dining space and made other once-unthinkable compromises in the struggle to stay afloat. It hasn’t been easy.

The world’s largest processing and payments company, FIS has been there for America’s restaurants through these difficult months, as it has for thousands of businesses in the U.S. and around the world. From the early days of the pandemic, the company has taken steps to help businesses survive and adapt to a dramatically new normal, from waiving monthly service fees to helping clients speed receipt of government loans. The company’s detailed guide, “From Pandemic to Payments,” provides restaurant owners with a point-by-point roadmap for preparing to reopen in a way that ensures employee and customer safety and eventually moving toward operating without restrictions.

FIS’ wide-ranging product portfolio and global footprint belie a simply framed mission—to lift companies and communities by advancing the way the world pays, banks and invests. It’s a mission, we note at Carpenter Group, that FIS fulfills through an exceptional array of philanthropic and volunteer efforts.

In the U.S., FIS has figured crucially in the implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which delivers vital lunch and food benefits to families of school-age children impacted by school closures. This includes distributing electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards that families can use for grocery purchases. “For families in need, the importance of providing nutritious lunches doesn’t stop just because their kids aren’t in school,” says Jim Johnson, head of Financial Institution Payments and Wealth at FIS.

In the UK, FIS partnered with the Government Banking Service to provide National Health Service (NHS) workers with groceries and other supplies. In the Philippines, FIS employees supported a fund-raising drive to purchase food and personal protection equipment to over 1,500 families. sa And in New York, FIS joined forces with Amalgamated Bank to produce disaster relief gift cards for hundreds of poverty-level families, giving them immediate access to donated emergency funds.

Importantly, FIS’ core commitment to communities did not begin with COVID. In 2019, employees logged almost 25,000 volunteer hours worldwide, staffing food pantries and soup kitchens, working with disadvantaged youth, cleaning beaches and waterways, building houses with Habitat Humanity, and putting their time, energy and heart into a thousand other initiatives—all designed to create better communities and a better world.

At the corporate level, FIS has put its financial and human resources behind initiatives that tie directly back to its mission. “Globally, some 1.7 billion adults do not have a bank account, and even more are considered ‘underbanked’ – meaning they have minimal presence in mainstream financial services,” notes the 2019 FIS Gives Back Report. “Without access to finance, un- and underbanked adults face serious financial instability and risk.”

Now in its sixth year, the FIS Fintech Accelerator Program nurtures fintech startups to speed development of innovative technologies that build economies and improve lives. In Africa, one program alumnus, Flutterwave, is helping FIS seamless financial access to millions of underserved individuals across the continent.

And in India, in 2015, through partnerships with local NGOs, FIS has established Financial Literacy Centers among the country’s urban poor as well as financial literacy camps for children and women, empowering hundreds of individuals to navigate important personal finance topics, such as obtaining a savings account and insurance.

Looking ahead to a post-pandemic world, “FIS will continue to seek ways to make a difference by tackling some of the key challenges facing humanity today,” says Chairman & CEO Gary Norcross. “Expanding our international giving programs, partnering to provide access to finance, and strategically coordinating our volunteer efforts are just some of the ways we plan to continue to drive positive change.”

 

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About Brand Acts of Kindness®

Brand Acts of Kindness® is a series from Carpenter Group that spotlights companies across industries that are living their brand values in addressing the unprecedented challenges facing the world today.

The series initially headlined companies assisting healthcare workers and first responders, as well as communities, businesses and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We also highlight brands taking the lead in supporting social and racial justice, LGBTQ rights, sustainability and the environment. Their stories show how innovation, resolve and action, built on a solid value proposition, can both strengthen a brand and help create a better world.

About Carpenter Group

Carpenter Group is an independent, woman-owned strategic branding, messaging and marketing communications firm that has delivered results-driven solutions to financial, professional services and technology firms for 30+ years.

Our broad cross-discipline experience enables us to craft brand messaging and carry it through to the channels that most effectively connect with our clients’ target audience, from editorial content to advertising to event marketing and more.