In today’s episode, we speak with IEC leaders Oona Rokyta and Trent Bigelow to learn more about what you can expect from the Building the Independent Economy podcast going forward.

Topics discussed:

- Short background introductions on who Oona Rokyta and Trent Bigelow are and what their companies — Lance and Abound do.

- Why going forward, the podcast is being transitioned from Abound to the Independent Economy Council (IEC)

- What the IEC is and who the members are.

- What the big picture vision for the IEC is and what the next 12 months will look like.

Independent workers are the new backbone of the US economy.

Their rapid growth and participation in the workforce (fostered by the pandemic) has come with unique requirements that challenge the traditional banking system.

What are freelancers expecting from their banks?

To better understand this, we sat down with Ayal Levin, General Manager at Lily, New York who helped us understand the financial tools, services and insights freelancers want to have access to.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What Lili is and how they help independent workers
• The role banks play in the independent economy
• What independent workers expect from their banks
• How Lili and Freelancers Union are supporting freelancers
• The challenges of redesigning banking for the independent worker
• The future of banking for freelancers

Black America is one of the most educated communities in the US. However, it has been underserved and unbanked because of prevalent systemic issues that remain unsolved today.

To better reflect and understand these financial disparities, we sat down with Donald Hawkins, co-founder and CEO of kinly. Donald is not only a member of the community who can understand and feel their needs better than anyone but also someone who is committed to repairing a long-time debt: help them build a generational wealth legacy.

Topics discussed in this episode:

The context that inspired Donald to found his company. What intrinsic characteristics of the traditional banking and financial industries have made them so unfair. How money works in America. How financial disparity affects African American independent workers and entrepreneurs in particular. What the main financial educational needs in kinly's communities. Trends that will shape financial services in the near future.