Public Relations USU - Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) and PT Zurich General Takaful Indonesia (Zurich Syariah) followed up on strategic cooperation through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in a Public Lecture and Recruitment Entrepreneurship Program, which raised the theme “Digital Transformation in Sharia Insurance: Realizing a Competitive and Sustainable Sharia Economic Ecosystem.” It occurred at the DLCB Building, 8th Floor of USU, on Thursday (20/02/2025).

This collaboration aims to broaden students' knowledge of the Islamic insurance industry and provide opportunities to gain professional experience through certified internship and management trainee programs. In addition, Zurich Syariah also opens opportunities for USU graduates to be involved in entrepreneurship based on Sharia economic principles.

This public lecture was part of a series of events highlighting the importance of digitalization in the Islamic insurance industry. Innovations such as blockchain, data analytics, and artificial intelligence further accelerate the transformation of Sharia-based financial services. Therefore, the Secretary of USU's Directorate of Internationalization and Global Partnerships, Arif Nuryawan, S.Hut., M.Si., Ph.D., emphasized that digitalization in this sector is crucial to ensure more inclusive and efficient services.

“We hope this activity can improve the quality of human resources and open more opportunities for USU students to gain hands-on experience in the Islamic insurance industry,” said Arif Nuryawan.

On the same occasion, Satria Nugraha, Business Head of the Partnership of Zurich Syariah, said the company has prepared various sustainable programs that students can utilize. These programs include certified internships, management trainees, and entrepreneurship programs that aim to equip students with financial and business skills based on Islamic economics.

“We want to provide more opportunities for students to experience first-hand how the Sharia insurance industry works. We also present an entrepreneurship program, so USU graduates have better financial resilience,” said Satria Nugraha.

Zurich Syariah also offered students who participated in the event the opportunity to get free personal accident insurance for one year for participants who participated in the internship program and were interested in registering themselves. This insurance provides 24-hour protection with total benefits of up to Rp1 billion as a tangible form of Sharia financial inclusion in the academic environment.

Meanwhile, Dian Wibowo, Director of Zurich Syariah, explained why USU was chosen to partner in this collaboration. According to him, USU, one of Sumatra's largest universities, has tremendous potential to develop Islamic financial literacy among students.

“USU has a strong academic ecosystem, and we want students here to understand the importance of Sharia insurance. We also open opportunities for faculties at USU who want to hold sharia financial literacy activities so that more students are educated,” said Dian Wibowo.