Mastercard responded to urgent needs of refugee crisis after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. We created advanced tool that uses aggregated data and shows customized recommendations that shows Ukrainians where to find best conditions to settle, start new lives-often in smaller towns, rather than well-known, big cities. Through this data based tool we deployed our resources and knowledge in systematic and long-term solution for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

By helping them find a platform of communication and support, we showed that the needs of 2 groups - refugees and local communities suffering from depopulation - could benefit each other.

Following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, almost 10 million [AS1] [MS2] refugees from the occupied territories have crossed the Polish border. Poland has welcomed more Ukrainian refugees than any other nation. However, many Ukrainians were looking for shelter in major Polish cities (like Warsaw, Cracow, or Wroclaw) which were already overcrowded, causing rental hikes, increased competition for jobs—all amid an unprecedented rise in inflation. It became evident, that to deal with the increasing stream of refugees, the movement had to be redirected to smaller cities. Places where life conditions might be even better than in big cities. Moreover, like everywhere else in the world, small towns in Poland are beginning to suffer from depopulation, as young people move to bigger cities.

Mastercard – the brand that has social responsibility in its DNA – decided to act quickly and do it’s best to help Ukrainian in refugee crisis.

The unique data collected by Mastercard allowed the creation of a tool that reliably presents the cost of living in cities of different sizes in Poland. The tool presents personalized data without the need to leave sensitive data on the site. By filling out a simple anonymous form, based on actual situation, location and needs, the tool gives every refugee customized, condensed and crucial information. The “Where To Settle” digital platform from Mastercard aims to alleviate these challenges by showing refugees the most promising areas in Poland to make their new homes.

In the first months after the war started, as much as 34% of refugees were unable to decide where to live in Poland. It deepened their despair and made it difficult for them to become independent. Over time, the focus shifted towards looking for a place where they could feel at home.

We knew that finding a place to live was fundamental, but it wasn’t everything. Another essential thing a refugee needs is a job.

That brought us to the idea of creating a platform which offers real support to the refugees, helping them to find a place to live in smaller, less-known towns, and support them in finding a satisfactory job too. Moreover, the idea was to marry refugees’ needs with those of local communities – the opportunities and benefits they provide. The strategy gave us a chance to deal with concerns about refugees and their influence on communities.

By tracking the evolving needs of Ukrainian refugees (from initial shelter to housing and jobs), we were able to develop a unique platform, dedicated to help them find a place to live and work in Poland, while actually supporting local communities' needs.

“Where To Settle” – is a digital platform, created by Mastercard in cooperation with Morizon-Gratka Group, part of the biggest Polish news organisation, providing job and apartment rental offers for the displaced Ukrainians. The comprehensive digital tool aggregates Mastercard’s spending insights and customised data from the Polish Central Statistical Office. It asks those looking for new homes to input information such as preferred employment, family size and more. To communicate the tool we reached out to local governments and officials to pitch their cities to the Ukrainian Refugees inviting them to settle in their towns and showing them the highlights and hotspots in each area.

1. We introduced the engaging platform delivering support to people in refugee crisis:

a. We attracted 242,17k UU to the platform, 73,7k to fill-in completed forms. Basing on data form Where to Settle and number of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, we estimate that even 20,05%* refugees benefited from the platform!

b. 92% of Ukrainians engaged in helping refugees found the tool useful

2. Thanks to the Where to settle we significantly lifted Mastercard’s perception on such important factors as “technological” +12(UA), “modern” +14(UA), “social” + 14(PL) + 11(UA)

3. Business impact: we increased Mastercard’s usage intent among non-users. 57% of Poles and 80% of Ukrainians declare usage intent after contact with the platform.

*thanks to forms from the platform, we know that among users the average family was 4,08 persons large. It gives 300 696 persons who benefited from the platform – 20,05% of Ukrainian refugees (estimated 1,5mln).

At the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the inhabitants of Poland mobilized and rushed to the border with humanitarian aid. Often involving private cars and funds. Without waiting for official help from Polish government institutions, they started the process of helping refugees, often taking them into their own apartments in big cities. Over time, it became clear that systemic and long-term solutions were needed helping not only Ukrainian refugees but also Polish economy, which began to enter a recession caused by the war.