Blackbullion has been recognised in the Social Mobility List 2024 for its work in creating and leading National Scholarships Week.
Blackbullion, which placed 8th on our recent FinTech 50 ranking, is one of five small businesses included in the first-of-its-kind publication.
The firm partners with universities to provide digital financial education to students via a platform which allows them to access personal finance courses and university funding.
The Social Mobility List, created by Making the Leap and bp, highlights contributors and initiatives that are making significant strides in advancing social mobility across the UK.
It includes 56 organisations and 18 individuals driving change, including Blackbullion clients Amazon and Nationwide.
National Scholarships Week takes place every March, with the aim of transforming the way that scholarships are viewed. Blackbullion wants the UK to move away from the stigma that scholarships are ‘hand-outs’, rather than prestigious opportunities that have been earned.
Its work in this area has real-world impact for young people. Myat Kyi Moe moved to London from Myanmar at the age of five but after her father died, she feared taking a degree would prove too great a financial burden.
However, Myat was awarded a Chaucer Group scholarship and is now studying BSc Management at Warwick Business School.
“My family moved to the UK for better opportunities,” she said. “I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed education, so going to university had always been a big dream of mine. However, coming from a low-income, single-parent household, the idea of pursuing higher education was overwhelming.
“Nevertheless, I was determined to have a look at what help was out there to make attending university more attainable. The Chaucer scholarship is incredible as it covers my full tuition fees and living expenses and also includes internships and mentoring. It has changed my life in countless ways.”
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Vivi Friedgut, founder and CEO of Blackbullion, said: “To ensure that the UK continues to be a world-class knowledge economy, we need more creative and effective ways to address the cost of living crisis.
“National Scholarships Week is an opportunity to celebrate the innovative companies and organisations helping to improve educational opportunities for students across the country.”
Last year, Blackbullion launched more than £800,000 of scholarships and funding opportunities for young people. In 2025, it says it is aiming to make this even bigger.
It wants to partner with ambitious organisations looking to nurture the next generation of talent with the goal of sharing £1.5 million of funding in National Scholarships Week.