Dr. James Mwangi, CEO of Equity Group Holdings, reveals that a childhood experience where his mother faced public humiliation at a bank dramatically shaped his banking philosophy.

• Mwangi founded Equity Bank on the core principle that dignity must precede financial services, making banking accessible to low-income individuals.
• He eliminated minimum balance requirements, ledger fees, and introduced innovations like mobile branches and agency banking, expanding financial inclusion to millions previously unbanked in Kenya.
• This journey emphasizes how personal experience and empathy can drive transformative change in finance beyond traditional market expansion.