- First Boulevard, a digitally native neobank focused on improving the financial livelihood of Black communities across the U.S., raised $5m in seed funding
- Backers included Barclays and Anthemis and angels such as Gabrielle Union, John Buttrick and Jamere Jackson
- The company intends to use the funds to expand its team, increase its customer base and grow the platform to offer fee-free debit cards, financial education
- Led by Co-founder and CEO Donald Hawkins and Co-founder and COO Asya Bradley, First Boulevard provides banking platform for Black Americans
- First Boulevard, which is currently accepting customers on their early access wait-list with an expected launch in Q3 2021, has also announced a partnership with Visa
- A Visa Fintech Fast Track partner, First Boulevard will be first to pilot Visa’s new suite of crypto APIs, which will enable their customers to purchase, custody and trade digital assets
