BUFFALO, N.Y. — M&T Bank is bringing its commitment to equity into the neighborhoods that reflect the diversity of its customers. One example is the branch on Grant Street, which has become the first multicultural branch in Buffalo. Situated on the city’s west side, you can tell from even the signage how the bank reflects many of the residents it calls its neighbors.

“When you observe the kinds of people that are moving into the Western New York area, and look at the West Side of Buffalo, I think it makes sense for us to truly understand the demographics here,” said M&T Bank head of multicultural banking David Femi.


What You Need To Know

  • M&T Bank transformed its location at 130 Grant St. into Buffalo's first multicultural branch

  • The purpose of multicultural branches is to better help non-native English-speaking customers and to evolve with the diversification the country is seeing

  • The Grant Street location has signage in Burmese and Spanish in relation to the demographics largely found on Buffalo's west side

  • The bank will be opening a similar branch in Rochester

A mix of community groundwork and census data helps to determine signage for respective communities, and with the west side’s population of Burmese and Hispanic residents, the Grant Street branch was transformed to reflect the ethnic, racial and language diversity of the population inside and out.

Even the employees are members of the community, many of who are also certified to communicate in customers’ preferred language. Each implementation is a result of finding out what matters most, from commercial banking to entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses.

“The goal of this is to build the small business ecosystem for these multicultural small businesses so they have people to go to, they have people to turn to, and of course they have M&T Bank to be there as their mentors, and as that connector that will continue to guide and advise them for the long-term," Femi said.

From families looking to establish generational wealth, to business owners in need of financial empowerment lessons, the multicultural branches are designed to make sure financial literacy is a language everyone can speak.

“The world is changing, America is changing, and multicultural are the ones fueling all of that change,” Femi said. “And here at M&T, we want to be at the forefront of making sure that we’re there with these families along their financial journeys, so ultimately, we can help them achieve their financial goals,”

The bank plans to launch a multicultural branch in Rochester as well to meet the needs of the city's growing Hispanic population.