Interledger Salon

Unbanked in America: Exploring the Financial Divide:Financial Trauma - Healing and Recovery with Dr. LaTanya White

n this episode, we delve into the often overlooked but deeply impactful issue of financial trauma—emotional and psychological wounds stemming from past financial hardships, exploitation, or systemic exclusion. Our guest, Dr. LaTanya White, is a scholar-practitioner and founder of Concept Creative Group, whose groundbreaking work addresses the racial wealth gap through entrepreneurship and equity-focused education. Dr. White shares insights from her research and the legacy of financial trauma on marginalized communities. We explore how these experiences can lead to mistrust of traditional banking systems and how her Dynastic Wealth® framework offers a pathway to healing, empowerment, and long-term financial transformation. This conversation sheds light on the deeper roots of financial disengagement and how to build systems for a more equitable economic future. The Interledger Salon is presented by the Interledger Foundation [https://interledger.org/] Theme music: “Summer Instrumental” by NazAlakai, from the Tribe of Noise (Tribeofnoise. com [https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/artists/show/52471/35492]). The Interledger Salon is hosted by Future|Money Podcast, produced by the Interledger Foundation, and is licensed to the public under CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

Unbanked in America: Exploring the Financial Divide: Banking Deserts - A Mississippi Case Study with Sheena Allen

In this episode, we explore the concept of banking deserts—areas with limited or no access to traditional banking services—and the various factors that impact residents. We interviewed Sheena Allen, the founder of CapWay, and learned about her experience supporting unbanked and underbanked communities, particularly in her home state of Mississippi. Sheena shares her journey in building a fintech platform designed to empower vulnerable populations with digital financial services. We delve into the systemic barriers these communities face, including a lack of financial literacy, digital equity, and access to technology, and discuss innovative solutions, such as CapWay’s role in fostering economic inclusion. This episode also highlights the importance of open financial systems, partnerships, and the future of fintech in closing the financial divide for underserved groups. The Interledger Salon is presented by the Interledger Foundation [https://interledger.org/] Theme music: “Summer Instrumental” by NazAlakai, from the Tribe of Noise (Tribeofnoise. com [https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/artists/show/52471/35492]). The Interledger Salon is hosted by Future|Money Podcast, produced by the Interledger Foundation, and is licensed to the public under CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

Unbanked in America: Exploring the Financial Divide, "An Intro into the Series with Victoria Coker"

In this special introductory episode, we connect with Victoria Coker, the creator of the mini-series Unbanked in America: Exploring the Financial Divide, to learn what inspired her to launch this two-part mini-series on the unbanked and underbanked in the United States. She explains how insights from the 2021 FDIC report informed her approach and highlights the importance of these issues for financial inclusion. She reflects on surprising lessons uncovered through research and interviews, as well as the moments that left a lasting impression. Victoria also shares her hopes for what listeners will take away from the series and her vision for the future. The Interledger Salon is presented by the Interledger Foundation [https://interledger.org/] Theme music: “Summer Instrumental” by NazAlakai, from the Tribe of Noise (Tribeofnoise. com [https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/artists/show/52471/35492]). The Interledger Salon is hosted by Future|Money Podcast, produced by the Interledger Foundation, and is licensed to the public under CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

Is Financial Education and Understanding the Key to Financial Inclusion?

Financial education is often positioned as the high-positioned missing link to financial inclusion, but does understanding money matter if you don’t have fair access to the financial system? In this episode of the Interledger Salon, host Sheena Allen, a serial entrepreneur and fintech founder, is joined by Evan Leaphart and Ronaldo Hardy to examine the role of financial education and the limits it reveals in advancing financial inclusion. Drawing from their experiences building, funding, and operating financial tools for underserved communities, the conversation interrogates whether education empowers participation or unintentionally shifts responsibility away from flawed systems. Together, they explore how trust, access, infrastructure, and incentives intersect with financial knowledge, and where education alone falls short. This discussion asks whether financial inclusion begins with teaching people how money works or with redesigning the systems that determine who money works for. Host: Sheena Allen: tech founder, entrepreneur, international speaker, and media creator with a decade of experience building companies across technology, fintech, and digital media. [https://www.sheenaallen.com/] Guest: * Evan Leaphart: fintech entrepreneur and the founder of Kredit Academy, a platform focused on financial education and credit-building for adults and children. His work centers on embedding financial capability into everyday life through partnerships with financial institutions and community organizations. [https://www.evanleaphart.com/] * Ronaldo Hardy: CEO of Balance Financial Wellness and a former credit union CEO with deep experience in financial coaching and leadership development. He works at the intersection of financial wellness, behavior change, and community-based empowerment. [https://ronaldohardy.com/] The Interledger Salon is presented by the Interledger Foundation [https://interledger.org/] Theme music: “Summer Instrumental” by NazAlakai, from the Tribe of Noise (Tribeofnoise. com [https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/artists/show/52471/35492]). The Interledger Salon is hosted by Future|Money Podcast, produced by the Interledger Foundation, and is licensed to the public under CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]

Unlocking Possibilities: The role of Open Payments in African speculative fiction

The diversity and innovation of the early internet have settled into a weird monopolistic set of apps that cater to the average American or European. Which is great if you’re an average American or European, but not especially helpful for anyone slightly more diverse. And, if you’re African, you lose out in ways that range from things that feel like casual ignorance all the way to outright hostility. In this episode of the Interledger Salon, three African speculative fiction creators, Gavin Chait, Dilman Dila, and Cheryl Ntumy, discuss their experiences and frustrations of publishing while being African, joined by Jeremiah Lee from the Interledger Foundation, as we assess the state of open payments and our hopes for widespread adoption of the standard. Host: Gavin Chait: Marseille-based South African economic migrant, data scientist, researcher, engineer, sometime-traveler, and African speculative-fiction author. His novels tell stories of migration, climate change, and the founding mythologies of communities in transition. Gavin Chait [https://gavinchait.com] and Why Thawk [https://whythawk.com] Mastodon: @GavinChait@wandering.shop [GavinChait@wandering.shop] Guest: * Cheryl Ntumy: Ghana-based SFF author and founding member of Petlo Literary Arts, a non-profit that develops and promotes creative writing from Botswana. She is also a founding member of the Sauútiverse Collective, an African speculative fiction collaborative world building project. Cheryl Ntumy [https://cherylsntumy.wordpress.com/] * Dilman Dila: Ugandan writer, film maker and a social activist. His books include Where Rivers Go To Die, which was shortlisted for the PKD Awards (2024), his films include, “What Happened in Room 13”, has been watched more than 8 million times online. He is currently working on his third feature film, about decentralized governance. Dilman Dila [https://www.dilmandila.com/]Mastodon: @dilmandila@mograph.social [dilmandila@mograph.social] * Jeremiah Lee: a tech lead with the Interledger Foundation, supporting its grantees in building an open, global payment network. He previously worked on data infrastructure at Stripe, hardware integrations at Spotify, and web APIs at Fitbit. Jeremiah Lee [https://www.jeremiahlee.com/] Mastodon: @Jeremiah@alpaca.gold [Jeremiah@alpaca.gold] The Interledger Salon is presented by the Interledger Foundation [https://interledger.org/] Theme music: “Summer Instrumental” by NazAlakai, from the Tribe of Noise (Tribeofnoise. com [https://prosearch.tribeofnoise.com/artists/show/52471/35492]). The Interledger Salon is hosted by Future|Money Podcast, produced by the Interledger Foundation, and is licensed to the public under CC BY 4.0 Creative Commons License [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/]