Sheena Allen is an entrepreneur, speaker, and Forbes 30 Under 30 alum who became the youngest woman in the United States to own and operate a digital bank. She created her first tech company while in college, reaching tens of millions of app downloads, and is also the co-host of the Rich Lessons podcast.

Ambassador Project

Sheena’s project, “Financial Exclusion in the Southern U.S.: The Real Whys, Challenges, and the Role of Digital Inclusion”, is a field-driven study examining the systemic and behavioral barriers that contribute to financial exclusion across the Southern United States.

Through direct interviews with unbanked and underbanked individuals, her research centers lived experiences often overlooked by traditional data, uncovering the real challenges people face in accessing financial systems and highlighting where digital tools could play a meaningful role in expanding access and opportunity.

What Inspired Her Work

Growing up in Terry, Mississippi, a state with one of the highest populations of unbanked and underbanked residents, Sheena witnessed firsthand how the traditional financial system failed many people in her community. That experience inspired her to build financial infrastructure designed specifically for underserved populations.

Vision for the Future

Sheena believes the future of financial inclusion will move beyond “personalized” financial services toward truly individualized financial systems, where barriers such as geography, income, and credit history no longer prevent people from accessing financial tools and opportunities.

Read her contributions

https://community.interledger.org/sheenaallen