The October 22–24 national public banking conference will bring advocates, banking leaders and policymakers together to advance a financial system that serves communities—and issue a “Declaration of Financial Independence.”
By Joshua Scheer
Public money should build affordable housing, support small businesses and repair the infrastructure communities depend on. But when governments borrow to meet those needs, private lenders collect interest payments that can burden public budgets for decades.
This October, public banking advocates are gathering in Philadelphia to push for a different approach: publicly owned banks that put community needs at the center of financial decisions.
Hosted by the Public Banking Institute, the Public Banking, Public Prosperity Conference will take place October 22–24, 2026, at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street. The gathering will bring together banking experts, policymakers, economists and community organizers to develop practical strategies for establishing public banks in American cities, regions and states.
The institute describes the conference as an opportunity to bring national leaders and local advocates together around greater public control of public money.
For ScheerPost readers, this is familiar ground. Ellen Brown, an attorney, author and founder of the Public Banking Institute, has consistently brought the case for public banking to our pages. Her work examines how control over money and credit shapes economic power—and how publicly owned financial institutions could help communities reclaim it.
In her ScheerPost article “Why New York City Needs a Public Bank,” Brown makes the case for using municipal banking to finance housing, transit and other public priorities while reinvesting returns locally. Her recent “Dollar Reset 2.0: Stablecoins, Treasury Bills and the Case for Public Banks” extends that argument into the debate over digital money and the future of local lending.
The Philadelphia conference offers readers an opportunity to connect those ideas with the organizing needed to put them into practice.
According to the organizers’ announcement, Chris Armitage, writer behind The Existentialist Republic, will deliver the Thursday, October 22 keynote. The program also includes presentations by Ralph Nader and other national figures.
On Friday, October 23, Don Morgan, president and CEO of the Bank of North Dakota, is scheduled to explain how the state-owned bank operates. Its partnership with local financial institutions provides a working example for advocates seeking to expand community lending and retain more financial benefits locally.
The discussions will explore how public banking can support affordable housing, infrastructure, small businesses and local economic development, including through partnerships with community banks and credit unions.
Philadelphia’s history will take center stage on Saturday, October 24, at 1 p.m., when the public and media are invited to the Friends Center Courtyard for a special gathering.
A costumed Colonial Town Crier will read a Declaration of Financial Independence, calling for public money to be separated from private profiteering. The program will also explore Philadelphia’s public banking history and introduce the city’s new Beloved Community movement.
The courtyard gathering is expected to last less than 30 minutes and requires no registration.
The setting gives the event a pointed historical resonance. In a city associated with the struggle for political independence, public banking advocates will ask what financial independence could mean for communities whose futures remain tied to private lenders.
For anyone concerned about austerity, housing costs, infrastructure or Wall Street’s influence over public policy, this conference offers a chance to learn, meet organizers and help build alternatives.
Attend or watch online:
- Conference: October 22–24, 2026, at Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia. Registration required.
- Public courtyard event: Saturday, October 24, at 1 p.m. No registration required.
- Online: Organizers say the conference will stream on YouTube and Facebook.
- Information and registration: Public Banking Institute.
Public dollars represent the work and resources of entire communities. The movement gathering in Philadelphia is asking that those communities have a greater say in what their money makes possible.
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