Home / Series / Modern MBA / Aired Order / Season 2023 / Episode 11

Western Union: Banking & Finance for the Poor

Banks make money by lending out the money that you deposit. The more cash you put in, the better you’re treated - transactions take priority, fees get waived, interest rates are higher, and a personal banker is assigned. On the flip side, the less money in your account, the more fees you pay, and the further back in the line you start from. Banks chase affluent accounts who bring large balances and high cash flow. But it’s not just banks - every business aims for as many high spenders and wealthy as possible. Yet there are 2 companies - Western Union and MoneyGram, that have gone in the opposite direction in providing financial services in peer-to-peer money transfer (international & domestic) to a population that banks deem to be too poor and too low-value. Migrant workers and the poor are left out of the global financial system for similar reasons: they have too little money, their employment is volatile, their earnings are inconsistent, there are significant language and cultu

English
  • Originally Aired July 9, 2023
  • Runtime 26 minutes
  • Created January 16, 2024 by
    blue_gandalf
  • Modified January 16, 2024 by
    blue_gandalf