Afin Bank has announced the launch of its Community Ambassadors Programme, a key component of the new lender’s mission to improve access to homeownership for diaspora communities across the UK.

With a full launch of its mortgage and savings products expected later this summer, the bank is positioning the ambassador scheme as a cornerstone of its outreach strategy, aimed at building trust and improving financial inclusion among those traditionally underserved by high street lenders.

The initiative will see members of diaspora communities – particularly from Africa, India and Eastern Europe – become ambassadors for the bank, referring friends and family who may be seeking to buy a home or remortgage.

These ambassadors will not offer financial advice but will instead act as trusted connectors, introducing prospective borrowers to the bank’s qualified in-house mortgage advisory team.

Kemi Fashina (pictured), marketing and community manager at Afin Bank, who is heading up the initiative, said: “Diaspora communities in the UK are close and strong, and good news is shared quickly, so the creation of Afin Bank has already started a buzz among people keen to get on the property ladder but have found it hard to get a mortgage.

“The development of our Community Ambassadors Programme will be pivotal in helping to drive greater financial inclusion for hardworking diaspora communities in the UK, ensuring more people have the support they need to help them achieve their homeownership dreams.”

Ambassadors will be supported by a dedicated team at the bank and given the freedom to engage with their networks in ways that suit their communities. Afin Bank will also provide assistance for events that ambassadors may organise to spread awareness, handle referrals and answer technical questions.

Alan Davison, chief commercial officer at Afin Bank, said the programme would play an important role alongside the lender’s broker partnerships.

“We have built a strong network of broker partners ahead of our planned launch, including those that already work with diaspora communities,” he said.

“Our Community Ambassadors Programme will complement that approach, ensuring that we can reach and support as many underserved borrowers as possible.

“In some ways this feels like quite an innovative approach to helping customers, but we’re tapping into the strong community roots that are the traditional foundation of the mortgage industry.”

Davison added that the aim is to avoid the impersonal approach that has left many borrowers behind. “Instead of treating people like a number, we are building a network of trusted Ambassadors with strong relationships who are referring people to a bank that puts its customers first.”

Research conducted by Afin Bank among 500 members of the African diaspora in the UK revealed a significant disconnect between borrowers and lenders. Some 87% of respondents said they had been refused a mortgage, while 92% felt underserved by the financial services sector.

A tenth said they would rely on community recommendations when looking for a mortgage.

Louis Mensah Owusu, a respected figure in the Ghanaian community and one of the first ambassadors to join the programme, welcomed the initiative. “This is a great idea and an important development for people in diaspora communities looking to lay down roots in the UK,” he said.

“When it comes to financial services, people want support from organisations and leaders they trust so they can make good decisions.

“This is a great initiative from Afin Bank, and I am excited to be a part of it.”

Afin Bank was granted its banking licence Authorisation with Restrictions (AwR) in October 2024. Backed by African reinsurer WAICA Re, which has committed £62 million to the venture, the bank plans to offer residential and buy-to-let mortgages as well as FSCS-protected savings accounts later this year.

While its core proposition is aimed at borrowers from African and other diaspora communities, the bank said its lending products may also appeal to a wider range of customers, including high-net-worth individuals and self-employed workers.