Operation HOPE’s HOPE AI™ initiative Launches “Juanita,” AI Financial Wellness Coach to Expand Access to Personalized Financial Guidance

New AI-powered agent provides 24/7 financial education and support to help individuals build strong financial futures

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Operation HOPE, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in an ever-changing economy, today announced the launch of “Juanita,” its new AI Financial Wellness Coach, providing clients with on-demand, personalized financial education and guidance through the Operation HOPE client portal. Developed through the HOPE AI™ initiative, Juanita represents the next step in Operation HOPE's mission to democratize financial knowledge and empower individuals to achieve lasting financial well-being.

The launch of the Juanita “agent” marks a significant milestone for HOPE AI™, demonstrating the meaningful progress the collaboration has made since its debut at the Annual Meeting of the HOPE Global Forums in Atlanta in December 2025. HOPE AI™ is a first-of-its-kind partnership among several of the nation's most trusted nonprofit organizations—including Operation HOPE, Dream Machine, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, UNCF, 100 Black Men of America, along with e-commerce giant Shopify—to harness AI in ways that expand access to trusted coaching, financial education and economic opportunity. Juanita is the initiative's first client-facing solution, bringing the promise of AI-powered financial empowerment directly to the individuals and families that Operation HOPE serves.

"At Operation HOPE, we've always believed that financial coaching can change lives, but too many people need guidance outside of traditional business hours or before they are ready to meet with a coach," said John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Operation HOPE. Bryant is Co-Chair of HOPE AI™ alongside Van Jones, Founder of Dream Machine — a media personality, entrepreneur and best-selling author.

"Juanita extends the reach of our coaches by providing trusted, personalized financial education anytime, anywhere. And Juanita is more than just a name – it is named in honor of my mother, who instilled in me the values of perseverance, financial independence and service to others. As a single mom from South Central Los Angeles who lost everything in a divorce, she acquired the financial knowledge to own multiple properties and leave this world a millionaire. I’m honored that her legacy will help empower a new generation to build strong financial futures,” added Bryant.

Available directly through the Operation HOPE client portal, Juanita provides immediate guidance on a wide range of personal finance topics, including:

• Building and managing a budget
• Saving for short- and long-term financial goals
• Understanding and improving credit
• Managing debt
• Banking products and services
• Protecting against fraud, scams and identity theft
• Setting and tracking financial goals
• Learning about Operation HOPE programs and services

The launch builds on Operation HOPE's longstanding model of combining technology with human coaching to expand financial inclusion. While Juanita offers immediate support and educational guidance around the clock, Operation HOPE's certified Financial Wellbeing Coaches remain available to provide personalized coaching for clients seeking deeper assistance.

Juanita is available inside the Operation HOPE coaching model to everyone who signs up for services at portal.operationhope.org.

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $4.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.