Rakuten launches charity; Airbnb helps refugees
Rakuten, an app to find coupons and earn money on purchases, has launched the special charity fund Rakuten Clutch to help with humanitarian aid to Ukraine, the company announced.
The company accepts donations to help Ukrainians affected by the conflict. Donations will provide water, supplies and health services.
As the initiative launched on Wednesday, March 23, the fund has already received more than 609,000 contributions, reaching 1.02 billion Japanese yen ($8.4 million).
Aid will be provided to the Ukrainian government, the Japanese Committee for UNICEF and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Japan.
Save the Children Sweden has partnered with Airbnb.org to provide free housing for refugees fleeing Ukraine, the online home rental market has announced.
Called “Safe Start”, the initiative brings together non-profit organizations and the Swedish business community to help people fleeing Ukraine to Sweden, including by facilitating temporary accommodation.
An estimated 200,000 Ukrainian refugees could arrive in Sweden by June and there is an urgent need for short-term accommodation.
Three weeks ago, Airbnb.org pledged to provide free short-term housing to up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine. Since then, more than 16,700 Europeans have signed up to offer their accommodation to refugees for free or at a reduced price.
Anyone interested in offering free or discounted accommodation to refugees can register at Airbnb.org/ASafeStart.
——————————
NEW PYMNTS DATA: 57% OF CONSUMERS PREFER ADVANCED IDENTITY VERIFICATION AFTER TRIING IT
On:Fifty-seven percent of consumers who used advanced identity verification methods such as voice recognition when contacting customer service say they would do it again. The Consumer Authentication Experiences report surveyed nearly 3,800 US consumers to find out how delivering innovative verification experiences helps businesses deliver superior customer service across all channels.