FinVolution's BRAVOSHOPS to Boost 1,500 SMEs across Asia, Debuts at UN Global Compact BRI Action Platform Summit

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FinVolution Group (NYSE: FINV), a leading fintech company, has launched its "BRAVOSHOPS" pilot initiative to support small and micro businesses across pan-Asian countries. The Company introduced the initiative at a summit held in Indonesia on May 25, co-organized by the Government of Indonesia and the UNGC BRI Action Platform.

The summit brought together global stakeholders to advance sustainable development across key sectors, including SME empowerment, green innovation, education, and energy transition. During the summit, members of the UN Global Compact unveiled nine flagship pilot initiatives, with FinVolution presenting its BRAVOSHOPS initiative as part of this global effort.

Notably, FinVolution's BRAVOSHOPS initiative seeks to empower community-rooted small businesses that demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility and cultural heritage. The initiative builds on FinVolution's experience supporting over 70 small shops in China since 2023. Through a combination of physical upgrades, public engagement, and targeted financial support, the program enhances the visibility, functionality, and impact of participating stores.

As part of its regional expansion, BRAVOSHOPS aims to empower at least 1,500 small businesses across China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other Asian countries between 2025 and 2030. The initiative reflects FinVolution's long-term commitment to inclusive growth and sustainable livelihoods.

Building Change from the Ground Up

As FinVolution actively expands the BRAVOSHOPS initiative, two newly supported businesses in Indonesia exemplify the model's impact.

In Cianjur, West Java, young agricultural entrepreneur Agus Surya founded a tool shop after graduating from university. His store provides essential farming equipment to rural communities and serves as a hub for agricultural education.

"Running an agribusiness is about more than profit and loss — it's about making a meaningful impact," Agus said. Responding to his needs, BRAVOSHOPS helped modernize his storefront and display units, giving his shop a fresh, professional look. Agus hopes his revitalized store will serve as a stronger support system for local farmers.

Also, among the early beneficiaries of BRAVOSHOPS in Indonesia is Ms. Vonny Waty, a seasoned chef from Manado, Sulawesi, who has over 15 years of culinary experience. Currently based in Jakarta, she runs a small food stall serving traditional dishes to nearby office workers. However, Vonny had long struggled with limited resources. She faced challenges expanding her business due to a lack of refrigeration and storage, which limited her ability to preserve ingredients and diversify her menu.

Through the BRAVOSHOPS initiative, FinVolution provided essential equipment — including a refrigerator, storage cabinets, and a large-capacity rice cooker — enabling Vonny to improve food safety, stabilize her operations, and expand her offerings. As a result, her income has grown, and she has become a role model for other aspiring women entrepreneurs in her community, demonstrating the transformative power of targeted, practical support.

Scaling Impact Across Borders

FinVolution's BRAVOSHOPS initiative was first launched in late 2023 in China as a public-interest initiative designed to support small businesses deeply rooted in their local communities. The program focused on identifying microenterprises that not only provided goods or services but also played a meaningful role in fostering social cohesion and local well-being.

Early beneficiaries included a neighborhood barbershop offering monthly free haircuts to elderly residents, a rural reading space organizing volunteer-led literacy sessions for children, and a cafe that created employment opportunities for individuals with hearing impairments. By the end of 2024, BRAVOSHOPS had made a measurable impact, directly benefiting more than 15,000 people across a range of underserved groups, including seniors, children, and marginalized individuals.

The initiative proved that even small-scale interventions — when guided by a deep understanding of community needs — can yield meaningful and lasting social value. This success laid the foundation for the program's expansion beyond China, demonstrating its potential as a replicable model for empowering local economies and advancing inclusive development.

FinVolution's decision to expand BRAVOSHOPS to Southeast Asia further underscores the initiatives' broader relevance and affirms the Company's leadership in creating value through localized, socially responsible solutions.

Leading the Way in Sustainable Financial Innovation

Since joining the UN Global Compact in 2022, FinVolution has aligned its business strategies with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), strengthening its ESG practices across its operations. The Company's ESG effort has earned international recognition, with Morningstar Sustainalytics rating the firm as a "Low Risk" performer — ranking it among the top 15% of diversified financial firms worldwide. FinVolution also achieved scores above the industry average in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment.

Looking ahead, FinVolution aims to scale its inclusive finance efforts by partnering with more organizations, and harnessing its technological and platform strengths to help create a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable economic environment across Asia and beyond.

** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **

FinVolution's BRAVOSHOPS to Boost 1,500 SMEs across Asia, Debuts at UN Global Compact BRI Action Platform Summit

FinVolution's BRAVOSHOPS to Boost 1,500 SMEs across Asia, Debuts at UN Global Compact BRI Action Platform Summit

FinVolution's BRAVOSHOPS to Boost 1,500 SMEs across Asia, Debuts at UN Global Compact BRI Action Platform Summit

• The world's largest exhibition and conference for natural gas, LNG, low-carbon solutions, hydrogen, shipping, AI for energy and electrification comes to Bangkok as Asia's economic transformation creates new opportunities across the energy sector
  

BANGKOK, Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As Asia continues to drive the next chapter of global economic growth, the question facing governments, industry and investors is no longer whether energy demand will grow, but how the world will deliver the secure, affordable and sustainable energy needed to power that future.

Across the region, industrial expansion, urbanisation, electrification, digitalisation and the rapid growth of artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities for businesses, communities and economies. Behind every new factory, data centre, transport network and home is a growing need for reliable energy, making Asia the centre of gravity for the global energy sector.

The opportunity is already visible. Emerging and developing economies accounted for more than 80% of global energy demand growth in 2024, with developing economies across Asia accounting for around 60% of the global increase. Electricity demand rose 4.3% during the year, while global data-centre electricity consumption is expected to more than double by 2030. Global energy investment reached an estimated US $3.3 trillion in 2025, highlighting the scale of investment required to support this growth.

This is not simply a story of transition. It is a story of energy addition. New demand is emerging across every sector of the economy, requiring natural gas and LNG, renewables, low carbon technologies, and stronger grids to develop together in order to support future growth.

Against this backdrop, Gastech 2026 will bring the global energy industry to Bangkok from 14-17 September. Hosted by Thailand's Ministry of Energy, the event will convene policymakers, regulators, energy producers, infrastructure and technology providers, investors, traders and utilities from across the global energy value chain to explore how energy systems can evolve to meet rising demand while strengthening energy security and supporting long-term economic development.

Thailand's strategic position at the heart of Southeast Asia, combined with its investments in energy infrastructure, LNG, electrification, digitalisation and industrial development, make Bangkok a natural venue for the world's largest gathering of energy leaders. With more than 800 speakers across 200 conference sessions and 18 specialised programmes, Gastech 2026 will examine the energy systems, technologies and investment needed to underpin future economic growth.

H.E. Akanat Promphan, Minister of Energy, Kingdom of Thailand, said:

"Thailand is proud to welcome global energy leaders to Bangkok at a time when energy security, economic competitiveness and sustainable growth are more interconnected than ever. Gastech provides an important platform for governments, industry and investors to work together on the solutions needed to meet growing energy demand while strengthening resilience and creating long-term opportunity for our region."

Gastech's Strategic Conference will bring together energy ministers, policymakers and international institutions to examine the policies, partnerships and investment frameworks needed to support the next phase of global growth. Discussions will focus on energy security, supply diversification, infrastructure development, regulatory cooperation and the role of energy in supporting economic prosperity across both emerging and established markets.

Confirmed government speakers include:

• H.E. Akanat Promphan, Minister of Energy, Kingdom of Thailand
• James P. Danly, Deputy Secretary of Energy, United States
• H.E. Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Trade & Industry Singapore, Singapore
• H.E. Eng. Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum & Mineral Resources, Arab Republic of Egypt
• H.E. Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe, Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Nigeria
• H.E. Eng. Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Minister of Energy & Minerals, Oman
• Laura Swett, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

Alongside policymakers, Gastech will convene the executives responsible for producing, supplying, financing, transporting, trading and delivering the world's energy. Through dedicated executive leadership sessions, CEOs and senior decision-makers will explore the commercial partnerships, investment commitments and infrastructure projects required to ensure energy systems keep pace with rising demand, technological transformation and evolving security priorities.

Confirmed C-suite speakers include Dr Narin Phoawanich, Governor, EGAT; Dr Kongkrapan Intarajang, CEO & President, PTT; Tengku Muhammad Taufik, President & Group CEO, PETRONAS; Takayuki Ueda, President & CEO, INPEX; Liz Westcott, MD & CEO, Woodside Energy; Horacio Marín, President & CEO, YPF; Bayo Ojulari, GCEO, NNPC; Freeman Shaheen, President, Chevron Global Gas; Peter Clarke, Senior Vice President - LNG, ExxonMobil Upstream; Cederic Cremers, President - Integrated Gas, Shell; Yukio Kani, Global CEO & Chair, JERA; Mike Sabel, CEO, Executive Co-Chairman & Founder, Venture Global; Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman, President & CEO, Baker Hughes; and Richard Holtum, CEO, Trafigura.

New for 2026, the Electrification Strategic Conference Programme, delivered in partnership with EGAT, will examine emerging technologies, changing demand patterns and the investment models required for reliable, competitive and progressively lower-carbon power systems. As industrial growth, digital infrastructure and AI accelerate electricity demand, the programme will explore how countries can build the resilient grids and generation capacity needed to support economic growth.

The Global Energy Regulators Forum will bring together regulators, policymakers and industry leaders to explore how regulatory clarity can unlock infrastructure investment, accelerate innovation and support affordable, reliable energy systems.

The dedicated Japan Energy Programme will examine how Japan's evolving LNG strategy, changing power demand and energy security priorities are influencing energy markets across Asia and beyond.

AixEnergy, co-located with Gastech, will bring together leaders from the energy, technology and investment communities to address one of the defining opportunities of the next decade: the growing relationship between AI and energy. Discussions will explore both sides of the equation, from powering rapidly expanding data-centre infrastructure to using AI to improve efficiency, resilience and operational performance across energy systems.

Beyond the conference, the exhibition will provide a platform for international suppliers, buyers, utilities, developers, investors and technology providers to transform strategic discussions into commercial outcomes.

The exhibition will be anchored by co-hosts Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell and supported by Thailand's National Consortium Partners EGAT, PTT and Gulf, alongside National Consortium Supporters RATCH and EGCO, demonstrating the strong collaboration between government, national energy champions and international industry leaders that underpins Gastech 2026.

Across the wider value chain, producers and energy companies including ADNOC, XRG, Cheniere, Venture Global and Woodside Energy will meet buyers and utilities including KOGAS, GAIL, SEFE, Uniper and ENGIE. Infrastructure and engineering providers including Bechtel, Technip Energies and Samsung Heavy Industries will be joined by technology companies including Baker Hughes, Siemens Energy and Honeywell, alongside leading trading houses including Vitol and Trafigura.

This unique combination creates a direct route from demand to delivery, enabling participants to advance supply and offtake discussions, infrastructure financing, terminal and grid projects, technology deployment and strategic partnerships. Gastech 2025 facilitated approximately US $60 billion in commercial agreements and investments, demonstrating the role the event plays in accelerating investment and collaboration across the global energy sector.

Christopher Hudson, President of dmg events, said:

"The world's energy story is ultimately a story of growth. Across Asia and around the world, economies are expanding, industries are modernising and demand for reliable, affordable and sustainable energy continues to rise. At the same time, AI, digitalisation and electrification are creating entirely new opportunities and sources of demand."

"Gastech brings together the leaders responsible for shaping that future, from ministers and policymakers to producers, technology innovators, utilities and investors. This is where important conversations become partnerships, investment decisions and real-world projects. There could be no better setting than Bangkok, at the heart of one of the world's most dynamic energy-growth regions."

Gastech 2026 will take place at BITEC Bangkok from 14-17 September. Delegate passes, visitor registration and media accreditation are now open through the official Gastech website

About Gastech

Gastech is the world's largest exhibition and conference for natural gas, LNG, low-carbon solutions, hydrogen, shipping, AI for energy and electrification. Gastech 2026 is expected to welcome more than 50,000 attendees from over 150 countries, 800+ exhibiting companies and 800+ speakers

For further information and registration, visit the official Gastech website. https://www.gastechevent.com

For media accreditation, visit the Gastech media centre. Register here 

About dmg events

Since 1989, dmg events has created connections that enable growth by bringing together global industries, governments and innovators to drive collaboration, unlock commercial opportunity and advance meaningful progress across the world's most important markets. Through high-impact events and strategic partnerships, dmg events supports businesses and communities to navigate change, accelerate innovation and build sustainable success.

Operating from 13 offices worldwide, dmg events delivers more than 30 energy and policy events annually. Across four continents, its leading events, including ADIPEC and Gastech, bring together policymakers, industry leaders, investors and innovators to engage on the priorities shaping the future of energy systems and global markets.

** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **

Gastech 2026 Brings Global Energy Leaders to Bangkok as Asia Drives the Next Wave of Demand

Gastech 2026 Brings Global Energy Leaders to Bangkok as Asia Drives the Next Wave of Demand

Gastech 2026 Brings Global Energy Leaders to Bangkok as Asia Drives the Next Wave of Demand