Saturday, August 5, 2023

IN DEPTH: Banks Take Lead in Establishing Personal Social Credit System, Critics Charge

IN DEPTH: Banks Take Lead in Establishing Personal Social Credit System, Critics Charge


Large money-center banks appear to be in the vanguard of a movement to build a system of personal social credit scores.

This week, British bank Barclays became the latest to be accused of shutting the accounts of its customers for political or religious reasons. That followed revelations in April that Coutts, a private bank owned by UK bank NatWest, was alleged to have closed the accounts and publicized personal information of conservative politician Nigel Farage, one of the foremost Brexit advocates and a supporter of the policies of former U.S. President Donald Trump. 

Meanwhile, British banks aren’t alone. Many say that the largest U.S. financial institutions are in lockstep with UK banks in establishing political and social criteria for their customers and punishing those who don’t comply.

“Sadly, what we’re seeing now with NatWest and Barclays isn’t surprising,” Justin Haskins, director at the Heartland Institute, told The Epoch Times. “There is a mountain of evidence that shows many of America’s largest and most powerful banks are discriminating against customers because of theirideological, social, cultural, religious, or political views.

“Through various environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies and frameworks, banks regularly choose to screen out customers who are deemed ‘reputational risks’ or considered part of industries disfavored by elites and their powerful institutions.”

Large money-center banks appear to be in the vanguard of a movement to build a system of personal social credit scores.


This week, British bank Barclays became the latest to be accused of shutting the accounts of its customers for political or religious reasons. That followed revelations in April that Coutts, a private bank owned by UK bank NatWest, was alleged to have closed the accounts and publicized personal information of conservative politician Nigel Farage, one of the foremost Brexit advocates and a supporter of the policies of former U.S. President Donald Trump. 

More...



No comments: