Bank On Arkansas+: One Year Later

The Arkansas Asset Funders Network hosted a Bank On Arkansas+: One Year Later event at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service on November 13, 2019.

Since its launch in 2018, the Bank On Arkansas+ coalition has grown to more than 60 partners, including nine financial institutions that offer bank accounts that are certified through the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund. Bank On Arkansas+ goal is to provide access to safe and affordable bank accounts for low- and moderate-income Arkansans, providing individuals the opportunity to save for themselves, build wealth for their families, and improve the quality of life in their communities. How did the Bank On Arkansas+ coalition do it? They:

• Engaged new community partners to join Arkansas’s movement for financial empowerment
• Provided support for Arkansans who are pursuing a brighter economic future for themselves, their families, and communities
• Collaborated with partners to transform communities, document what works, and become a national thought leader
• Led Arkansas communities toward greater economic opportunity with data-driven decisions

At the event, Bank On Arkansas+ shared a preview of its one-year summary and stories that celebrate the heroism of individuals who have taken action to build brighter financial futures for themselves, their families, and communities. The coalition also shared that it will remain committed to building Arkansas’s movement for financial empowerment and announced a tenth financial institution provider who will begin offering a certified Bank On account in 2020.

Bank On Arkansas+ is an initiative of the Arkansas Asset Funders Network and is supported by the following sponsors: Arvest Bank, Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation, Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, Diamond Lakes Federal Credit Union, Entergy, First Security Bank, IBERIABANK, Regions Bank, Southern Bancorp and U.S. Bank.

For more information about Bank On Arkansas+, visit bankonar.org or contact Kara Wilkins, Director, at kara@assetfunders.org.