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 war in Ukraine, almost 10 million refugees from the occupied territories crossed the Polish border. Many refugees sought shelter in major Polish cities (like Warsaw) which were already overcrowded. This influx was causing rent hikes and increased competition for jobs amidst an unprecedented rise in inflation in cities. Properly dealing with the stream of refugees required redirection to smaller cities. Small towns in Poland are beginning to suffer from depopulation, as young people move to bigger cities. Towns need the infusion of people and have existing infrastructure waiting to be utilised, but people unfamiliar with the region would not know this. This is a classic data problem: the people who needed information the most didn't have easy access to it.

Mastercard believes in “Doing well, by doing good”, in prospering as a company while having a positive impact in the world - acted quickly to help.

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 digital platform created by Mastercard in cooperation with Morizon-Gratka Group, part of the biggest Polish news organisation providing job and apartment rental offers. 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. The communication for the tool also features local people from various Polish cities inviting refugees to their towns and showing them the highlights and hotspots in each area.

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.

“Where To Settle” platform created in cooperation with Morizon-Gratka Group, part of the biggest Polish news organization providing job and apartment rental offers. The comprehensive digital tool aggregates Mastercard’s spending insights and customized 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. It then provides average cost of living, salary, housing and economic opportunities in various parts of the country, ultimately showing individuals and families the places where they will be most likely to thrive. The Polish government and the Association of Polish cities, the oldest Polish organization of local governments, are supporting and promoting the tool. Digital and SoMe campaign features locals from various Polish cities inviting refugees to their towns and showing them the highlights and hotspots from each area. The campaign was targeted at all Ukrainian refugees staying in major cities.

We introduced effective and engaging platform

We attracted 242,17k UU to the platform, and 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!

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

“Where to settle” also significantly lifted Mastercard’sperception on such important factors as “technological” +12 (UA), “modern” +14 (UA) and “social” + 14 (PL) + 11 (UA)

We increased Mastercard’s “usage intent’ within the group of non-users, a crucial business priority for growth. 57% of Poles and 80% of Ukrainians non-users 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).

During the moment of the war outbreak in Ukraine, Polish citizens mobilized and rushed to the border with humanitarian aid. Often using 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 to help not only Ukrainian refugees but also the Polish economy, which began to enter a recession caused by the war.