American Express, long considered the financial institution of corporate spending and the wealthy, this week released “Spent: Looking for Change,” a 40-minute documentary “about the nearly 70 million Americans locked out of traditional financial services.” The moody documentary, which follows several Americans who turn to pawn shops, check-cashing services and payday loans to make financial ends meet, was narrated by Tyler Perry.

It is noteworthy that the documentary was released as Amex made public its plans to “let consumers shop using their virtual credit cards just like virtual boarding passes on an iPhone Passbook,” according to wired.com. Of course, Amex has been playing in the underbanked space since Oct. 2012, when it launched Bluebird, a prepaid card joint venture with Walmart. Truth be told, Amex’s loans grow at a paltry rate, around 3% per annum, and its travel-related fee revenue — largely from those corporate clients — has been on the decline. Amex does not release financial performance data on Bluebird.

Indeed, through American Express Ventures, the company’s strategic investment group, Amex “launched the Financial Inclusion Initiative to invest in early-stage startups, leveraging technology to improve financial options available to those who are financially underserved.” It would seem that Amex’s underbanked initiatives, therefore, have the duel purpose of community assistance and Amex corporate development.