The largest lenders are shifting toward jumbo loans, which blacks and Hispanics are much less likely to get. (Money)

After years of steady increases, the average compensation among the top executives in 2015 was down 15 percent from the 2014 figure of $22.6 million, according to the Equilar 200 Highest-Paid C.E.O. Rankings, conducted for The New York Times. (The New York Times)

Microsoft, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook have pledged to remove hate speech within 24 hours, in support of a code of conduct drafted by the EU. The freshly drafted code aims to limit the viral spread of online abuse on social media. (BBC)

Company cars and bowls of fruit may be underwhelming. How about giving staff something that will really fire them up, such as yoga and sound therapy or comedy nights and mind-blowing parties? (Raconteur)

Confidence is a huge factor in your career development. When you believe in yourself, you're more likely to achieve the goals you set. But self-doubt in the workplace is still a big issue for many professionals, even when they have the support of their boss or colleagues.(Business News Daily)

The UPstanding Leaders’ List highlights and ranks 100 executives in the US and UK who have reached senior roles in business while also fighting against discrimination and championing ethnic diversity and inclusion in the workplace and beyond. (ft.com)

From established accounting firms to tech start-ups, companies are starting to take supporting minorities more seriously, diversity experts say.(ft.com)

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi on Thursday said policy makers are willing to take further action if inflation doesn’t pick up decisively, but stressed the need for patience as previously announced stimulus measures take effect. (The Wall Street Journal)

Chesanyama (meaning ‘braaied meat’ in isiZulu) is a South African fast-food franchise brand built on the concept of the traditional township braai (a South African-style barbecue). It was started in 2012, and today has grown to around 300 outlets in South Africa, making it one of the country’s fastest growing food franchises. It also has a presence in Southern African countries such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland and has recently announced its plan to expand to the US. (How We Made It In Africa)

North Carolina’s black lawmakers and political activists are critical of a state Senate bill that would lower tuition at five public colleges, including three historically black campuses. SB 873 seen as threat to public black colleges. (The Charlotte Post)

Black Americans’ educational equality has improved in the last year, but college graduation rates and access to high-quality elementary and secondary education remain a problem, according to a major survey by the National Urban League — an organization that wants Congress to ramp up early childhood education and provide more federal aid to black college students. (Sojourners)

BE Smart recently sat down with Deanna Hamilton, a vice president at the National Black MBA Association. Concerned about the apathy she’s encountering in some students, we discussed issues in the black community and possible solutions. Here is an edited version of our conversation. (Black Enterprise)

Despite a great deal of lip service to digital transformation, the effect of all these great words on most companies is this: not much. (Harvard Business Review)

If there’s one dominant technological paradigm we’ll remember about 2016, it’s voice. From chatbots to Amazon Echo to conversational interfaces, our voices—and how we use them—are quickly becoming the primary way we interact with computers. (Fast Company)

In its quest to build a global empire, Uber has turned to the Middle East for its biggest infusion of cash from a single investor. (The New York Times)

Detroit leaders and organizations are working with JPMorgan Chase to deploy the bank’s $100 million commitment in various ways that are advancing the city’s priorities when it comes to helping startups and minority-owned businesses launch, grow, and scale. (Black Enterprise)

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries failed to cut a deal on oil production limits Thursday, raising further questions about the group's ability to control global crude oil markets and dealing a blow to prices. (USA TODAY)

Low-income families spend more than 80 percent of their budget on things like housing, food, and health care—that’s a lot more than 30 years ago. (The Atlantic)

The Roth IRA hasn't been around as long as its traditional IRA counterpart, but the tax-free nature of the Roth in retirement opens up some unique opportunities for those willing to add them to their overall retirement savings arsenal. In general, because you don't have to worry about paying taxes on the money you make with investments inside a Roth, it makes sense to make the most of your Roth portfolio. Below, we'll consider five more specific things to consider with your Roth IRA investing.

You actually have a number of digital assets whose fate you need to consider — because under present law, it is not entirely clear who can access and manage your online property if you become incapacitated or die. Such online assets include any accounts that exist solely online: your email, social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the like), PayPal accounts, and online financial accounts. (Money)

Worried about their financially strapped workforce, a handful of companies are stepping in to offer employees alternatives to payday loans and other expensive financial products. (The Wall Street Journal)

United Continental Holdings Inc. on Thursday said it would makeover the business-class cabins on its international widebody planes and its elite airport lounges, its first major product upgrade in more than a decade.(The Wall Street Journal)

The Obama administration will announce the federal government’s first move to regulate high-interest, low-dollar "payday loans," a $38.5 billion market currently left to the states. (The Wall Street Journal)

Dr. Kamau Bobb is a program officer at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering. He is on a rotation from Georgia Tech, where he serves on the faculty in the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics, and Computing (CEISMC). His role at NSF is to direct and facilitate research in improving computer science (CS) education that will lead to broader participation in the field, particularly of African American and Hispanic students as well as women of all races and ethnicities. Fascinated by his innovative thinking and approach to realizing diversity in education, we were compelled to interview him and learn more about his work. (Black Enterprise)

When you’re hiring a new manager, the stakes are high. You need someone who can effectively lead people, manage a budget, liaise with upper management — and, usually, do it all from day one. But what if a potential hire doesn’t yet have a track record in doing all of the above? (Harvard Business Review)

Blackbaud, Inc., the leading provider of software and services for the global philanthropic community, has announced a $1 million gift to the International African American Museum (IAAM), which will be built on Charleston's Gadsden's Wharf. Blackbaud will sponsor the Digital Media Lab that will take the museum experience outside of its four walls. Virtual or in-person visitors to the museum can trace their family origins, research their ancestry and record their own stories. (Nasdaq)

A new exhibition, "Invisible Man: Gordon Parks and Ralph Ellison in Harlem," for the first time shows images from a lesser-known 1948 project of theirs, "Harlem Is Nowhere." On view through Aug. 28 at the Art Institute of Chicago, the exhibition offers the two men’s counternarrative (the reality, that is) of the living conditions of black Americans during that time. (The New York Times)