Financial discrimination against the adult entertainment industry includes unfair and unequal treatment that blocks adult businesses and workers from essential financial services. These barriers limit access to banking, payment processing, loans, and other tools needed for day-to-day operations and long-term stability.
We have written about financial discrimination before, but in this article, we dive deeper into the forces driving it across the adult industry. The Adult Site Broker blog team adds context to the ongoing crisis of financial discrimination impacting adult businesses and adult workers worldwide.
What is financial discrimination in the adult entertainment industry?
Many financial institutions, including traditional banks, are reluctant to provide services to adult entertainment companies and performers due to perceived reputational risk. As a result, adult businesses can struggle to deposit funds, process transactions, or access basic financial products such as loans and credit lines.
Without reliable banking support, adult businesses may have difficulty managing cash flow and handling routine operations. Individual sex workers can also face banking discrimination, including account closures and “high-risk” labeling based solely on employment in adult entertainment.
How banking discrimination affects adult businesses and workers
Account access, closures, and daily operational friction
When banks refuse service or shut down accounts, adult businesses lose the ability to operate like any other legitimate company: to pay contractors, receive customer payments, and maintain predictable finances. For individual performers, unexpected account closures can disrupt rent and bill payments and undermine income stability.
Payment processing restrictions in adult entertainment
Payment processing is another major obstacle for adult businesses. Established processors such as PayPal and Stripe maintain strict policies restricting adult-content payments, which forces adult companies to seek alternative, often more expensive, less stable solutions.
Without dependable payment processing options, adult businesses can lose sales and revenue, which directly affects sustainability and growth.
Credit card networks and industry-wide financial pressure
Major credit card companies are also part of the broader landscape. The Free Speech Coalition (FSC), a trade group representing many adult entertainment companies, published a notable white paper on financial discrimination in partnership with Sex Work CEO (created by performer and activist MelRose Michaels).
Mike Stabile, Director of Public Affairs for the Free Speech Coalition, told journalist Gustavo Turner of XBIZ that rampant financial discrimination harms adult businesses and workers through predatory fees and unwarranted fund seizures. Stabile has also appeared on our podcast: Adult Site Broker Talk. FSC Executive Director Alison Boden has also been featured: listen here.
Key findings: Financial discrimination is widespread
The report indicates that nearly 2 out of 3 people earning money in the adult industry reported losing access to a bank account or another financial tool. Around 40% said they had closed a bank account within the past year.
The report also argues that the financial challenges adult businesses and workers face—banking, mobile payments, credit cards, loans, and insurance—are unique, and that the impact of these restrictions has not always been clearly documented or publicly disclosed.
Not every institution discriminates, but the stigma is systemic
Not all financial institutions or individuals engage in discrimination against adult entertainment performers. However, systemic bias, social stigma, and industry dynamics create barriers for adult businesses and workers in accessing financial services and stability. Sex work will likely remain controversial, but the consequences of financial exclusion are real.
Beyond the practical obstacles, financial discrimination contributes to marginalization. Excluding adult businesses from mainstream financial services—and adding extra hurdles—reinforces the harmful idea that the adult industry is illegitimate or undeserving of fair treatment.
Policy efforts and the Fair Access to Banking Act
There are signs of change. Some financial institutions and payment processors are beginning to recognize the need for more inclusive policies for adult-industry businesses. The Free Speech Coalition has also highlighted legislative efforts related to fair access.
Republicans in Congress introduced the Fair Access to Banking Act to codify the former “Fair Access Rule,” which was issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) during the presidency of Donald Trump.
Officially known as the Fair Access to Financial Services Rule, the regulation aimed to prevent the largest U.S. banks from denying services to certain industries solely based on perceived controversy. According to Banking Dive, the rule would have applied to banks with more than $100 billion in assets. After pushback from banks and other groups, the rule was overturned by the OCC leadership appointed after the 2020 election.
The Fair Access to Banking Act is endorsed by the Free Speech Coalition. The bill has also been supported by trade groups, including the Blockchain Association, the National Pawnbrokers Association, and the National Mining Association, as well as other organizations with different political missions.
Conclusion: equitable financial access should apply to everyone
Regardless of industry or politics, there is a shared interest in ensuring equitable access to financial services. We will continue to follow developments affecting financial discrimination in the adult entertainment industry—both in the U.S. and internationally.
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