Emerging Markets Coalition: Advancing Cannabis Financial Services
Emerging Markets Coalition (EMC) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) coalition focused on helping normalize financial services for cannabis and other emerging markets through education, standards, advocacy, policy engagement, research, and collaboration.
ACB and EMC work in tandem to support safer, stronger, and more transparent cannabis financial services while remaining separate organizations with distinct missions, governance, and operational responsibilities.
What is Emerging Markets Coalition?
EMC brings together financial services companies and industry stakeholders working in cannabis banking, payments, insurance, lending, retirement, investment, compliance, taxation, and related financial services. Its work centers on helping normalize financial services through education, collaboration, public policy engagement, best practices, and standards.
Educate
EMC supports public-interest education through webinars, podcasts, whitepapers, research, standards, and practical resources for financial services, cannabis, government, and industry audiences.
Advocate
EMC works to build constructive relationships across government, law enforcement, legislators, regulators, IRS, media, industry groups, and financial services leaders.
Protect
EMC’s work emphasizes transparent, traceable, taxable financial transactions that reduce cash-related risk, support public safety, and strengthen legitimate commerce.
Promote
EMC promotes more widely available, compliant, competitive, and equitable financial services for cannabis-related businesses and the institutions that support them.
Transparent. Traceable. Taxable.
EMC’s work is grounded in a simple but powerful objective: help move financial transactions in emerging markets toward systems that are transparent, traceable, and taxable. In cannabis, that means reducing the risks of cash-heavy commerce, strengthening financial transparency, improving public safety, and encouraging better collaboration across the three-legged stool of government, cannabis, and financial services.
Certified, mission-driven administration
EMC is administered by a certified woman-owned and disadvantaged business, reinforcing its commitment to inclusive, mission-driven leadership in emerging markets and cannabis financial services.
How ACB and EMC work together
ACB and EMC are aligned in their commitment to stronger cannabis banking education, standards, resources, and market normalization. The organizations collaborate where their missions overlap while maintaining separate governance, finances, operations, and organizational responsibilities.
- ACB provides cannabis banking education, training, certifications, events, and membership resources.
- EMC supports nonprofit public-interest work, standards, advocacy, policy engagement, and cross-sector coalition-building.
- Both organizations support safer, more transparent, and more practical financial services for cannabis-related businesses and the institutions that serve them.
- Jointly referenced resources should clearly identify whether they are ACB, EMC, or collaborative materials.
Why the distinction matters
Because EMC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, the relationship should be explained carefully. This page should highlight the synergy between the organizations without blurring legal, charitable, financial, or operational boundaries.
- Keep ACB and EMC brands visibly distinct.
- Avoid suggesting that one organization controls the other.
- Clarify that ACB and EMC work in tandem but remain separate entities.
- Use EMC’s nonprofit/public-interest language for EMC activities.
- Use ACB’s education, membership, and certification language for ACB activities.
EMC education, standards, and public-interest resources
EMC has contributed to education and standards work across cannabis financial services, including cash management, payments, lending, financial risk management, cannabis financial services research, webinars, podcasts, policy resources, and public-facing materials.
Standards and guidelines
EMC resources include cannabis payments guidelines, cannabis lending guidelines, cash management standards, and financial risk management best practices.
Education and media
EMC provides cannabis banking and financial services education through webinars, podcasts, news, research, whitepapers, and industry presentations.
Policy and collaboration
EMC works across government, cannabis, financial services, law enforcement, media, trade organizations, advocacy groups, and academia to support more workable financial services rules and collaboration.
Who should learn more about EMC?
EMC is especially relevant for organizations and professionals working at the intersection of cannabis, financial services, compliance, payments, risk, public policy, safety, and market normalization.
Financial institutions
Banks and credit unions exploring cannabis banking, cannabis payments, risk management, compliance, lending, and broader financial services normalization.
Financial services companies
Payments providers, insurers, lenders, fintechs, compliance providers, investment firms, retirement firms, and other financial services organizations.
Cannabis industry stakeholders
Cannabis operators, trade groups, professional firms, and organizations seeking safer, more transparent, and more accessible financial services.
Government and public-interest audiences
Legislators, regulators, law enforcement, tax authorities, media, academia, and advocacy groups interested in transparent, traceable, taxable financial services.
Learn more about EMC and the future of cannabis financial services.
ACB and EMC are working in tandem to support education, standards, collaboration, and practical resources for the cannabis financial services ecosystem while maintaining separate missions and organizational structures.
Common Questions About the Emerging Markets Coalition
How can I effectively use these resources?
Start with governance
Build your compliance/risk foundation
Use the playbooks to support implementation
Why Does ACB links to EMC?
ACB links to EMC because many cannabis banking challenges require both professional education and broader nonprofit, public-interest coalition work. ACB focuses on education, certifications, events, and membership resources, while EMC supports nonprofit standards, advocacy, research, and cross-sector collaboration.
