Association’s Bratsakis Joins Panel on Future of Small Business Lending

Association President/CEO John Bratsakis participated in the Delmarva Power Global Sustainability Conference at Delaware State University, joining a panel of experts for "Digital Lending and Mobile Money: The Future of Small Business Lending." The discussion focused on expanding financial access for small and medium-sized businesses through digital financial tools and innovative lending models.

(L - R) Ryan Englebert, Student and Moderator; Akash Dania, PhD Professor of Finance, Delaware State University; Karla Ballard, Founder & CEO HUMN.World; Kristen Castell, Managing Director, Center for Accelerating Financial Equity (CAFE); Sonia Spruill, Senior Manager, Distributed Energy Resources, Exelon/PHI; Horacio Garcia-Korosec, VP of Member Experience and Strategy, Del-One FCU; Carlos Dillard Jr., Student and Moderator

Bratsakis also served as a judge for the student project showcase. Students presented scalable solutions aimed at improving SME access to capital markets, including an AI-powered chatbot designed to help business owners identify available grant opportunities beyond traditional loans.