ATLANTA, GA. – Tomorrow, at this year’s Netroots Nation 2017 conference in Atlanta, Georgia, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) will host a panel entitled, Fintech: How Can Innovation Advance Civil Rights?, to discuss ways the financial technology (fintech) sector can help build a fair and inclusive financial marketplace for consumers, especially low-wealth families and communities of color. The panel will include representatives from New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA), LendingClub, the California Reinvestment Coalition, and the Center for Global Policy Solutions. Netroots Nation is the largest annual conference for progressives, bringing in around 3,000 attendees. (View a recording of the entire panel. Read additional background information on the Netroots Nation website.)
Those who’d like to follow the conversation on twitter, use the hashtags #NN17 and #NN17fintech and follow @CRLOnline.
Atlanta, Georgia – Thursday, August 10, 2017
- Who:
- Scott Astrada, Federal Advocacy Director, Center for Responsible Lending (Moderator)
- Beverley Brown Ruggia, Financial Justice Organizer, New Jersey Citizen Action
- Louis Caditz-Peck, Public Policy Director, LendingClub
- Paulina Gonzalez, Executive Director, California Reinvestment Coalition
- Mitria Wilson, Vice President of Economic Opportunity, Center for Global Policy Solutions
- What: Panel discussion on innovation and civil rights at Netroots Nation 2017 conference
- When: 9 to 10:15 a.m. ET
- Where: Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Grand Hall D, 265 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30303
Full description of topic: The emerging fintech industry serves a multi-trillion dollar market that includes online consumer lending, college savings, payment processing for businesses, money transfers, wealth management, virtual currency, and much more. Innovative products can help underserved families quickly and securely access capital and build wealth. However, without consumer protections, predatory lenders could use new, sophisticated means to continue exploiting low-income families and communities of color. CRL’s panel will aim to discuss how industry, government, and consumer advocates can shape this sector, so that more consumers across the country can prosper.