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Register your interest in our upcoming Certified Financial Literacy Education Training Workshop — new dates coming soon. Our next Certified Financial Literacy Education Training Workshop is scheduled for March 3rd and 4th​ We believe that financial empowerment is the fastest way to change lives. At Yenom, we equip people with the knowledge, confidence, and support to make smart financial choices—building independence, resilience, and a thriving community​

Last week was National Refugee Week 2026 — themed A Million Stories — and YENOM founder and CEO Amanda di Medici joined 2MCE Radio to speak about one of the most overlooked dimensions of the refugee experience: financial literacy.

Arriving in a new country is overwhelming at the best of times. But for refugees and migrants, the financial system can feel like an entirely different language. In the interview, Amanda spoke candidly about the real barriers people face: unfamiliar banking systems, language gaps, digital literacy challenges, cultural and gender norms around money, and a vulnerability to scams at exactly the moment they can least afford it.

“Everything that they’re up against when they arrive in Australia is new to them. It’s generally a new money system, new banking system, new language around money. The things that we take for granted — like how our transaction accounts work, where the ATMs are, paying bills, taxation, superannuation — they’re all suddenly things that these people need to work out.”

Amanda di Medici, YENOM

Amanda also reflected on the bigger picture: 49% of Australians demonstrate low levels of financial literacy. The three most financially excluded groups in the country are Aboriginal Australians, women, and new migrants to Australia — and it is precisely these communities that the YENOM Foundation exists to serve.

She also touched on the layered barriers many refugees face beyond language: cultural expectations around gender and money, digital literacy gaps, geographic isolation in regional and remote areas, and the emotional weight of fear, shame, and misinformation that can make even opening a bank account feel insurmountable.

Two Things to Take Away

Amanda closed the interview with advice for everyone — refugee or not:

  • Never give away your financial independence. Whatever your relationship or circumstances, always maintain your own account and your own understanding of your money. Joint goals are great — just make sure you still have your own.
  • Know that free help exists. Financial counsellors are government-funded and completely independent. They don’t sell anything and have no affiliations. Find one through the Financial Counselling Association of Australia or through Lifeline.

The interview aired on 2MCE Radio on 18 June 2026 during National Refugee Week.

Want to learn more about YENOM’s financial literacy programs for individuals, workplaces and communities? Explore our programs or get in touch.