About First Green Bank

During a transformative cross-country trip after selling his first bank at an astonishingly high multiple, Ken LaRoe read Patagonia founder's book, Let my People Go Surfing. He returned to his home in Central Florida determined to start a values-based bank that would also be a profitable one.  Six years later, First Green Bank is attempting to push the boundaries of values-based banking and is performing in the top quartile of all banks in Florida. It is ranked number one among them in asset quality.

So exactly what do we mean by a Regenerative Bank? Regeneration is the self-restoring and self-renewing process that all systems undergo as they adapt to unexpected, sometimes threatening, circumstances. No system can truly sustain itself over the long-term if it does not continuously regenerate, that includes our economic and financial systems.

At Capital Institute, we consider the Regenerative Capitalism framework our source code for the transformation we seek in those systems.

A Year in the Life of a Regenerative Bank will pose a critical question for our uncertain times: Can the tools of finance and banking be used, not just for short-term financial gain, but to support the regeneration of our human communities and economies, and the stressed ecological systems upon which they depend for their very survival?  Can a bank be profitable over the long term, and also serve as a regenerative change agent?  And if it can, why can't all banks operate like First Green Bank?  We'll be exploring these intriguing possibilities over the course of the year.

A Year in the Life of a Regenerative Bank is made possible through a generous project grant from the Kendeda Fund. The Field Guide is the recipient of project support from both the Kendeda Fund and the Compton Foundation, as well as general grant funding to Capital Institute from the Kalliopeia Foundation.