The existing financial system in the United States is not working for Native Americans. The aggregate data on chronic Native American poverty, unemployment, and lack of reservation business activity indicates a substantial disconnect between tribal communities and traditional sources of development capital such as banks, credit unions, and other commercial lenders. Structural conditions in tribal communities do not embody the legal elements or collateral base required by commercial banks to provide loans and credit for Native American economic development. What tribal communities need is a new financial system, built upon an understanding of the unique economic and legal conditions of Native American nations, to provide access to capital on terms that are structurally and culturally consistent with the realities of Native American life. This paper describes an innovative program to create a new financial institution that can facilitate much-needed access to capital and affordable financial services for Native American nations: the Tribally Chartered Bank. Organized under the sovereign authority of one or more tribal governments and free from the short-term focus of publicly listed banks, the TCB would offer a means for tribes to secure the “patient capital” required for long-term economic and infrastructure development.