NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The protest group that wanted to Occupy Wall Street now wants to occupy your wallet – with a prepaid debit card, its creators say.
The idea is to help people who don't have bank accounts, The New York Times reported Monday.
A Cornell law professor, a former director of Deutsche Bank and a former British diplomat are among the group who developed the card, hoping to make Occupy a recognized brand in the financial industry.
The group, known as the Occupy Money Cooperative, began raising money for the project on Sept. 17, the second anniversary of the Occupy movement. A website promoting the card says using the card would represent a "protest with every purchase."
The idea for the card was sparked about a year ago, said Carne Ross, a member of the cooperative who resigned from the British foreign service in protest of the Iraq war.
Ross, a member of an alternative banking working group established by Occupy, said the card is not intended to turn a profit, although it will have fees for ATM withdrawals and balance inquiries.
The cards will be available once the group raises about $900,000, he said.
The cooperative has been criticized over its potential relationship with Visa. Activists say the credit card company refused to process donations to WikiLeaks. Ross said his group had no choice but to work with Visa to develop a card that would be widely accepted.
