2021年10月29日

“這是一家銀行。我們在這裏是為了賦予美國黑人權力，但你為什麼認為這意味著我們在幫助窮人?”近年來，隨著越來越多的數字銀行初創公司爭奪曆史上在傳統機構開戶或被完全排除在銀行係統之外的消費者，針對服務不足社區的新銀行出現了。但隨著這些初創公司尋求增加投資，一些人說他們經常遇到的一個問題是財富偏見。“當我們出去推銷時，每次我們說，‘這是美國黑人的一家新銀行’，人們就開始和我談論我應該去找的不同慈善基金會要錢，”第一大道首席運營官阿斯亞·布拉德利說，他於2020年8月與首席執行官唐納德·霍金斯共同創立了這家新銀行。“你們為什麼都認為這是慈善事業?”這是一家銀行。我們在這裏是為了賦予美國黑人權力，但你為什麼認為這意味著我們在幫助窮人?”布拉德利本周在Money20/20會議的一個小組討論會上發言說，當一些投資者考慮女性的需求時，財富偏見也存在。她說，有一種假設認為女性是“厭惡風險的”，“不知道如何投資”。 "So you're going to have to educate them, right? Your products can be all about education only, because women don't have money," said Bradley, highlighting some of the feedback she said she often receives from investors. "Wealth bias is this assumption that whoever we're helping is going to be poor," she said. Bradley noted the 2019 New York Times report detailing racial discrimination involving former NFL player Jimmy Kennedy, who was denied private wealth client status by JPMorgan Chase, despite moving $800,000 to the bank. Kennedy, who is Black, had been promised "private client" status, reserved for accounts with over $250,000, but was denied because of the color of his skin, according to audio recordings accessed by the Times. The incident garnered national attention and demands from lawmakers that the bank provide information regarding the allegations. In a 12-page letter to lawmakers, the bank admitted to several shortcomings and told employees in an internal memo it was creating a team to spur improvements on discrimination. "With wealth bias, it doesn't even matter how much money you have as a Black person, you're still going to deal with racist people," Bradley said. First Boulevard, which raised $5 million in seed funding in March, has a waitlist of 100,000, according to TechCrunch . Building generational wealth Like First Boulevard, Atlanta-based digital bank Greenwood shares a mission of wanting to help underserved communities build generational wealth. Rapper and activist Michael "Killer Mike" Render, one of the founders of the startup that aims to serve Black and Latinx communities, said it’s not just those at the bottom of the economic ladder who are facing discrimination in financial services. "I'm a businessman. I had millions of dollars in one of the largest banks and when I went to them to say, ‘I want to buy a piece of real estate, I've got great credit,’ they were like, ‘We can't give you the loan, Michael,’" Render told Money 20/20 conference attendees at a separate panel discussion. "I was like, ‘Well, I'm taking my money out of your f****** bank.’" Render said the bank, whose response was to steer him toward placing his funds into an investment account, eventually gave him the loan. "Although I found it disturbing and was a little insulted by it, I understood how hard it must be for working-class Michael to ask for a car loan," Render said. "I understood how difficult it must be to be refused for a home loan when you pay rent faithfully for five, 10 or 15 years sometimes. You finally get in a position to do it, and then your bank tells you no." During the discussion, Render shared advice on how audience members can support the Black community with their wallets, reiterating Bradley’s sentiment that the startup isn’t looking for handouts. "I don't need charity. I need you to actively put your dollar in my community so that we can circulate it and make the greater economy better," he said, encouraging attendees to commit to shop at a Black-owned business at least once a week. "If the Black community is doing better, the whole community is doing better." Greenwood was formed in October 2020 by Render, civil rights leader Andrew Young and Atlanta-based entrepreneur and founder of Bounce TV Ryan Glover. The platform, which is in beta with 200 users, has more than 600,000 on its waitlist, the neobank said. Follow Anna Hrushka on Twitter