Business Wire India
- Ocean Buddy, an interactive app-based mini-program inspired by Ant Forest, leverages digital technology to support marine conservation and the protection of whale sharks in Indonesia.
- Project underlines DANA's ESG vision for building community-wide climate resilience, and Ant International's new Sustainability Framework focused on innovation and collaboration for inclusive, sustainable growth.
DANA and Ant International, together with Konservasi International, today unveiled the Ocean Buddy initiative, an interactive in-app mini program to raise awareness and drive long-term public participation in marine conservation among DANA's 200 million users in Indonesia. The launch was announced at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress 2025 in Abu Dhabi.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251009459552/en/
From left to right: Ms Sabrina Peng, Senior Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ant Group, Mr Vince Iswara, CEO & Co-Founder of DANA Indonesia, Dr. Sylvia Earle, Founder and Chair, Mission Blue, Mr Eric Jing, Chairman, Ant Group
Inspired by Ant Forest, a global pioneer for digitally-driven environmental advocacy, Ocean Buddy leverages gamification incentives and lively visual designs to enhance broad-based, long-term user participation in conservation efforts, specifically the protection of whale sharks along the southern coast of Java.
Innovation and Collaboration for Broad-Based Sustainability Action
Ocean Buddy underlines DANA's ESG focus on building climate resilience for its business and the wider Indonesian community through proactive analysis and responsible action. As the world’s largest archipelagic state, Indonesia is home to the world’s largest whale shark population, a plankton-feeding species critical to maintain global ecological balance. According to Konservasi Indonesia, whale shark populations across the Indo-Pacific have declined by up to 63 percent over the last 75 years due to stranding and other threats.
The project is also the latest collaborative project under Programme Sirius, Ant International's flagship programme where 13 global e-wallet leaders, including DANA, join hands to make sustainability inclusive and accessible through digital innovation.
Ant International launched its new Sustainability Framework in June 2025, with a focus on collaborative sustainability, inclusion and trust initiatives across its payment and fintech business pillars. In 2024, Programme Sirius launched AquaViva at COP29, a global programme focused on scaling marine conservation through open collaboration.
Vince Iswara, CEO & Co-Founder of DANA Indonesia, said, “Environmental issues are becoming increasingly urgent. Now is the time for the fintech industry to play an active role in bringing forward technology that supports sustainability. Through the Ocean Buddy initiative, we want to prove that technological innovation is not only an engine for economic growth; it is also a powerful gateway to popular participation in protecting our marine and land ecosystems, to a sustainable as well as prosperous future for generations to come."
Leiming Chen, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ant International, said: “Ant International's mission is to build inclusive, sustainable growth through innovation and open collaboration. We are thrilled to support industry leaders like DANA to achieve sustainability and growth goals for the world's diverse communities. Through co-building innovative solutions and learning from each other, together we will be able to build a greener and more prosperous future from local to global.”
“The presence of whale sharks is closely tied to the health of Indonesia’s oceans. Konservasi Indonesia supports DANA through the Ocean Buddy program by sharing scientific knowledge while encouraging people to realize that simple actions can make a real contribution. With collective awareness and cross-sector collaboration, we believe that efforts to protect the oceans can become stronger and more sustainable,” explained Tinton Galih Yudhianto, Director of Partnership and Communications at Konservasi Indonesia.
Through Ocean Buddy’s cumulative-score ranking and an Impact Coins system, DANA users' everyday online activities are translated into offline conservation projects, including first response training for stranded marine mammals and the protection of whale shark habitats. All educational content under Ocean Buddy is verified by Konservasi Indonesia.
The partners plan to continue expanding Ocean Buddy's coverage and partnership circle, and evolve new features to drive nationwide conservation advocacy and action.
About DANA
DANA (PT Espay Debit Indonesia Koe) is a digital wallet-based technology financial company that provides payment platforms and financial services in Indonesia. Since its launch in December 2018, DANA has now reached more than 200 million users in Indonesia. DANA provides complete digital transaction solutions that are safe, easy and convenient for users, merchants and financial institutions. The DANA solution, developed by leading financial technology engineers in Indonesia, aims to advance and accelerate financial literacy and inclusion in Indonesia. Apart from empowering digital finance, DANA also seeks to encourage Indonesian society through impactful social initiatives that focus on empowering women and preserving the environment.
About Ant International
With headquarters in Singapore and main operations across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, Ant International is a leading global digital payment, digitisation and financial technology provider. Through collaboration across the private and public sectors, our unified techfin platform supports financial institutions and merchants of all sizes to achieve inclusive growth through a comprehensive range of cutting-edge digital payment and financial services solutions.
To learn more, please visit https://www.ant-intl.com/
About Konservasi Indonesia
Konservasi Indonesia is a national foundation that aims to support the sustainable development and protection of critical ecosystems in Indonesia. We believe in the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships across sectors and jurisdictions. Working in partnership with the government and others, we design and deliver innovative nature-based solutions to climate change, using a sustainable landscapes-seascapes approach to create lasting impacts for people and nature. More information visit: www.konservasi-id.org
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