Bloomberg Businessweek America’s Largest Black-Owned Bank
Oct 16, 2025
Teri Williams, President and COO of OneUnited Bank, shares her insights on driving financial inclusion through innovation. She highlights the bank's mission as a CDFI and its pioneering AI-driven app, WiseOne, designed to enhance financial literacy and offer personalized money management. Teri discusses efforts to serve the underbanked, including second-chance accounts and accessible loans. She emphasizes the importance of community support and regulatory flexibility as OneUnited navigates the evolving landscape of digital banking.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Digital CDFI Meets AI Partnerships
- OneUnited Bank is a 20-year digital CDFI focused on building wealth in low-to-moderate income communities.
- The bank partnered with Google, Salesforce, JPMorgan, and Citi to build WiseOne, a conversational AI money coach.
Teach Finance With Actionable Nudges
- Use actionable, personalized tips to teach financial literacy rather than generic courses people won't use.
- Deliver specific, contextual nudges like budgeting moves or interest-rate alerts to drive behavior change.
Bridge The Underbanked With Fair Products
- Offer second-chance accounts for people with check-system records to bring the underbanked into mainstream banking.
- Provide short, no-credit-check loans with reasonable rates and report positive payments to credit bureaus.