MORE ABOUT NAFSA

The Native American Financial Services Association (NAFSA) formed in 2012 to protect and advocate for Native American sovereign rights and enable tribes to offer responsible online lending products. Through the protection of consumer rights and tribal sovereignty, NAFSA provides vital services to tribal governments serving the underbanked with better short term financial services, furthering economic development opportunities in Indian Country.

We remain hopeful that the Federal government, regulators, and the electorate will join with us to help safeguard the solemn right of Native American people to protect our culture and livelihood. We are hopeful that these audiences will join us in opposing any actions that will impede Native Americans from protecting our rights of self-determination to the fullest extent of the law. Finally, we are hopeful that working together, we can provide much-needed economic opportunity and development to Indian Country for the benefit of our tribal communities.

Our Mission


To advocate for tribal sovereignty, promote responsible financial services, and provide better economic opportunity in Indian Country for the benefit of tribal communities.

Our Vision


  • To improve the welfare of sovereign nations through new e-commerce business and employment opportunities in the financial services industry.
  • To develop and provide financial products and services which responsibly meet consumer need with transparency, value and convenience.
  • To protect Native American sovereignty and fight discriminatory practices against tribal government owned businesses that operate in compliance with the applicable laws of the United States of America.

What Sovereignty Means to Us


Federally-recognized tribes in the United States are considered “domestic dependent nations”– political entities with wide powers of self-governance. Federally recognized Indian tribes possess the inherent right to enact laws and be governed by them, even though they’re within the borders of the United States.

The self-governance and sovereign rights that tribes enjoy include:

  • The right to form their own government.
  • The power to create and apply both civil and criminal laws.
  • The power to tax.
  • The power to establish membership.
  • The right to license, zone, and regulate activities.
  • The power to engage in commercial activity.
  • The power to exclude persons (Indian and non-Indian) from tribal territories.

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