DE&I Finance is a group of fintech-forward organizations working together internationally to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across the sector. The initiative is co-chaired by Dean Velentzas and Elizabeth Wood. Please contact dean@canadianlenders.org for more information.

DE&I is a call-to-action to Fintech to innovation around their internally and external strategies:

• Internally: The business case for diversity in FinTech is clear: inclusive companies are better able to attract talent, tap into new markets and create innovative products. Financial services companies are seeing an average 2-4% revenue growth per 1% increase in diversity.
• Externally: Fintechs across the world are offering targeted products to niche demographics. Many engage in customer segmentation in order to better serve the needs of specific communities with personalized consumer banking experiences. These targeted products are ideally suited for new or underbanked demographics. Legacy financial offerings are often unable to customize their approach, which makes it challenging to appeal to the diverse needs of the wider community.  Proactive, tailored fintech programs can allow for underrepresented communities to access the capital and resources they need to succeed.

The industry needs to apply the same innovative thinking and commitment to solving the problem of DE&I as we do with our products and services. We need to make a concerted and conscious effort to change the balance of visible inequity in the sector with the entrepreneur vigor that we build our companies to transform the financial industry.

Often DE&I activity and policy is developed in corporate silos. The goal of this group is to provide a safe forum for representatives from fintech companies across the ecosystem to share learning and best practices. 

Visit the CLA’s Calendar to discover how you can get involved with the DE&I Roundtable.

Please note: It is important that CLA members do not engage, under the auspices of the CLA, in coordinated behaviors or practices that restrict competition or target competitors who are not members of the CLA. It is critical that CLA staff and CLA members abide by these guidelines which are designed to avoid not only actual wrongdoing but also the appearance of wrongdoing. To that effect, CLA members should generally refrain from sharing with each other any confidential sensitive commercial information such as pricing, capacity, expansion, business plans etc. Should a member have any questions or concerns, please contact Dean Velentzas, Head of Policy.