( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) New Black-Owned Social Media Banking App Set to Make Waves
ENSPIRE Contributor: Logan Floyd
Brandon T. Jackson and Mark Bush are pushing for a better financial future for the Black community. The two young entrepreneurs have created KingdomPay, the first Black-owned and operated social mobile banking app. An alternative to popular mobile payment services like CashApp or PayPal, KingdomPay is a next-generation payment and lifestyle platform. Revolutionary in its design, the app is meant to galvanize the financially excluded while directly stimulating economic growth and spending in marginalized communities.
Launching this summer, KingdomPay features affordable, tech-driven personal financial and banking products that are made to be available to everyone, including the economically disadvantaged and the “unbanked and underbanked.” KingdomPay also boasts a wide range of service deliverables, including integrated digital payments, the KingdomPay Mastercard, real-time bank transfers, desktop applications, and online banking with printed transaction sheets. Perhaps most notable is its “Cause 2 Fund” program, which allows users to funnel money back into the community with a round-up cents option.
Jackson originally conceived of the app as part of a vision he had of aggregating a cultural and spiritual community through his company Kingdom Over Everything, Ltd. Much like his parents Bishop Wayne T. and Dr. Beverly Y. Jackson, the founders of the black-owned, inspirational TV network The Impact Network, Jackson dreams of uplifting the black community not just monetarily but spiritually.
“I made a promise to God at the onset of my career, that if He granted me fame, I would build His Kingdom,” Jackson said. “I am happy to be fulfilling my destiny. Beyond just financial equity my mission is one of fostering spiritual equity as well.”
For his part, Bush is a veteran in the field of technology who has seen the cost of economic disparity firsthand. Bush’s older brother, Ralph, was brutally killed by police after being arrested for stealing a bottle of whiskey. For Bush, KingdomPay is not just another project, but a chance to affect actual social and fiscal change in the black community.
“Right now, 97% of what the Black community spends goes outside of the Black community,” Bush said. “With KingdomPay, we are positioning ourselves on the financial front lines for economic recovery. I’m most proud of our ‘Cause 2 Fund’ program where the change from the user’s spending can be redirected to community organizations and charities. By allocating financial resources to organizations of our choice, we get to directly impact our communities and create solid avenues for reform and restitution.”
With KingdomPay, Jackson and Bush have helped to pave the way for a future in which black consumers will have reliable access to affordable financial services regardless of their economic background. Moreover, through features like “Cause 2 Fund,” black consumers will be able to direct their purchasing power to support their communities. Even though so many black Americans still struggle financially, new black-created products like KingdomPay give reason to hope for a future in which black consumers will be far more well-off and independent.
