Interledger Salon

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-f...

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 p...

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 finan...

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...

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 hostili...

In this episode of the Interledger Salon, Andria Barrett hosts a discussion on ROSCAs (Rotating Savings and Credit Associations) and their impact on financial inclusion. Joined by Philip Cargill and Abdul Andan , the conversation explores personal experiences with ROSCAs, the importance of trust, the potential for digital transformation, and the role of technology in making these traditional finan...

In this episode of the Interledger Salon, our host, Xiaoji Song , an artist and researcher, explores the complex relationship between money, digital finance, and financial inclusion. Joining her are guests Sarah Habib and Anuja Ghosalkar . Sarah, a fintech expert, highlights the importance of bottom-up approaches to digital finance that consider cultural differences and trust issues. Meanwhile, An...

Welcome to the third iteration of the Interledger Salon, hosted by Smriti Parsheera , Research Ambassador at the Interledger Foundation. This session features a discussion on financial inclusion with James Ogada from the Busara Center in Kenya and Dr. Susan Thomas from the XKDR Forum in India. The dialogue explores financial inclusion as more than just access to financial services—it’s a means to...

We’re thrilled to announce the first Interledger Salon on the Future|Money podcast, a quarterly panel hosted by the Interledger Foundation with facilitation by Chief Program Officer Chris Lawrence. These discussions aim to connect our community to multilateral stakeholders in the digital financial inclusion sector. As such, we invited Jayshree Venkatesan from the Center for Financial Inclusion , E...

In this episode of the Interledger Salon. We focus on the Interledger Foundation’s work on campus involvement and partnerships with universities. Our guests, Dr. Allan Davids of the University of Cape Town, Dr. Andrew Mangle of Bowie State University, and Interledger Foundation’s CEO and President Briana Marbury, discuss the challenges and successes of integrating open payments into university cur...