What we see is that people are willing to act when something feels clearly unfair. They respond with their wallets, not just their words. The solidarity is real, but it is short-lived. Within days, attention shifts and the system returns to its previous state. There is a brief window where people are paying attention and willing to act. If platforms want that support to have a lasting effect, they need to move quickly.
Dr Hadar Gafni, Assistant Professor at King’s Business School
02 April 2026
Study finds 'Trump Travel Ban' sparked brief surge in lending to Muslim-majority-country borrowers
King’s Business School research shows people responded to perceived injustice with their wallets, but only for a few days.
New research from King’s Business School shows that Donald Trump’s 2017 Travel Ban triggered a brief surge in online lending to borrowers in Muslim-majority countries.
The study, published in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights, analysed lending behaviour on global microfinance platform Kiva in the days around the 2017 US Travel Ban.
Dr Hadar Gafni found that people do act on their values when faced with perceived injustice: borrowers in Muslim-majority countries received around 25% more funding per day immediately after the Ban. But the effect faded quickly, and within days the earlier funding gap had returned.
The findings highlight how quickly public sentiment can translate into economic action, but also how fragile that response is.
The research focuses on Kiva, a platform where individuals provide zero-interest loans to low-income entrepreneurs in developing countries. While lenders are typically motivated by social impact, the study shows that funding decisions still reflect persistent biases.
Before the Travel Ban, loans to entrepreneurs in Muslim-majority countries took significantly longer to reach full funding than comparable loans elsewhere. The policy announcement temporarily narrowed this gap but did not eliminate it.
The study treats the Travel Ban as a natural experiment, showing how quickly capital flows on digital platforms can respond to major political events. It also points to the role platforms and institutions can play in shaping outcomes during these moments.
By aligning visibility tools, such as curated campaigns or featured borrowers, with periods of heightened public attention, platforms may be able to extend the impact of short-term solidarity.
The research contributes to wider debates about consumer behaviour, online activism and bias in financial decision-making. It suggests that while individuals are willing to support disadvantaged groups, sustained change requires structural intervention rather than relying on moments of public outrage alone.
Read the full paper: Walls at the Border, Bridges Online: Prosocial Lending After the Trump Travel Ban
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Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Entrepreneurial Finance