American Indian tribes from across the United States have joined together to announce the formation of the Native American Financial Services Association. The new group has been formed to promote e-commerce in Indian Country, protect sovereign rights, and promote consumer protections.

Native American Financial Services AssociationAlternative Financial Services

“In this time of unprecedented economic growth potential and increasing efforts to undermine tribal sovereign immunity, the formation of this group could not have come at a better time,”

said Barry Brandon, executive director of Native American Financial Services Association and a tribal citizen of Muscogee Creek Nation. He also has over 20 years of experience in American Indian law and policy.

“We are focused on protecting our sovereignty and continuing to improve the quality of life for our people who have spent far too long suffering in some of the most impoverished areas of the country.”

The Native American Financial Services Association was created through the merger of two existing groups, the Native American Lending Alliance and the Native American Fair Commerce Coalition. Both groups have been active in the ongoing debate over Americans Indians’ sovereign right to engage in innovative ecommerce initiatives. The newly merged organization has implemented a system of self-regulation that ensures that all member tribes are following a set of best practices that protect the tribes’ sovereignty and provide consumers with the highest quality alternative financial service products.

Immediately after tribal leaders formally approved the merger of the two organizations, Bruce Sunchild, Chairman of the Chippewa-Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy, Montana was unanimously elected to serve as chairman of Native American Financial Services Association. The rest of the organization’s Board is composed entirely of tribal leaders from across the country.

Two recent court decisions have uniformly supported sovereign immunity for tribes in the alternative financial services industry. In both California and Colorado, courts have upheld the rights of Native Americans to engage in ecommerce without the interference of state and federal regulators. In addition to the support of over two centuries of legal precedent, the American public universally supports tribal sovereign rights. In several recent polls, including one conducted by Zogby last year, over 90 percent of the public supports tribal sovereign immunity and opposes government intrusion into industries in Indian Country.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: Tribal Nations Unite to Defend Sovereign Rights – Native News Network.