Mastercard Partners with Birmingham Department of Innovation & Economic Opportunity to Launch Ascend Birmingham Helping Local Businesses Get Digital

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Aug 02, 2021

With spend already declining in Birmingham pre-COVID, the decrease rapidly accelerated in Birmingham’s downtown and surrounding tracts because of the pandemic significantly impacting the city’s small businesses. Minority owned businesses in the region saw an outsized impact from the downturn and are a priority focus amidst recovery. Mastercard and the Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity are working to address this with the introduction of Ascend Birmingham. The program is focused on helping local small businesses pivot to digital operations and thrive in an age of a more digitally engaged consumer.