Fintech in Black-majority communities: Addressing racial gaps, strengthening financial health and wealth

Over the past 20 years, financial technology (fintech) companies have provided new ways to capture data, reach broader audiences, and expand access to credit and liquidity. In today’s economy, fintech companies can help mitigate financial health and wealth racial gaps that hamper Black and Latino or Hispanic families’ financial security through product offerings and policies they put in place. Through technology and automation, fintech companies can reduce costs and prices, speed up finance delivery, and increase convenience for underserved populations. These companies also have the potential to think differently about policies and programming that can amplify opportunities for Black and other minority communities.

On Wednesday, February 2, Brookings Metro convened a discussion aimed at examining disparities in financial access and the tools that are providing liquidity and line-of-credit capabilities in underserved and underbanked communities. Speakers also discussed how private sector innovations can be paired with public policy interventions to address some of the systemic issues that have contributed to financial health and wealth racial gaps.