Our final batch of America's Credit Unions GAC coverage- Glen speaks with Ncontracts’ Stephanie Lyon about the shifting yet inevitable regulatory/compliance landscape. Also- another Domino falls on Paze’s roadmap, and Illinois’ interchange debacle proves too geeky for prediction markets- but not for a punk rock reference.
March 24, 2026
March 18, 2026
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Media
In this session, we discussed our key takeaways from the recent Government Affairs Conference. If you missed GAC, it's a great opportunity to watch along and catch up on the hottest financial topics coming out of DC. If you were at GAC for the excitement, we’d love for you to watch along, compare your notes, and let us know in the comments what stood out most to you from the conference.
Continuing our Americas Credit Unions Government Affairs Conference coverage, Managing Director Brian Kaas discusses TruStage’s new stablecoin designed specifically for credit unions, and CEO/Co-Founder Dan Michaeli shares data-driven insights from Glia’s new Banking AI Benchmarks Report. Also- fintech’s answer to the NBA Slam Dunk Competition.
Our first batch of coverage from Americas Credit Unions’ Government Affairs Conference features an interview with the three leaders behind CUltivate- the new credit union-owned and curated foundational AI engine- plus our annual meetup with the ACU Economics Team to discuss their take on the outlook for CUs and the US economy overall.
Glen speaks with two Associate Professors- Anna-Leigh Stone (Samford University) and Jordan Van Rijn (University of Wisconsin) about the recent Credit Union Research Workshop and Stone’s paper analyzing the impact of CUs acquiring banks. Also- KYC risks morphing into Know Your Citizenship.
Glen offers two more interviews from our continuing Finovate Europe coverage- a chat with GSMA Head of Industry Security Samantha Kight on the latest efforts to combat financial fraud on mobile devices, and the leaders of startup Hagbad unveil a savings circle app with echoes of credit unions’ early days. Also- card interchange solidifies its role as America’s misunderstood punching bag.
This month’s session featured remarks from longtime industry thought leader Brian Bodell- including an update on the evolution of digital marketing/embedded finance platform Digital Storefront into Movemint, where he is now CEO. Also, John gives us a little sneak peak of the newly unveiled "unconference" -- CU Unplugged -- Hosted by Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) + Best Innovation Group at Visa’s Market Support Center in San Francisco on March 30th-April 2nd, 2026, including an Exclusive Discount Code only for CU Town Hall attendees and viewers. Make sure to watch the recording to grab your discount code! Register soon, the discount code is only valid through February 28th- https://www.cu-unplugged.com/
Glen shares his takeaways from Finovate Europe, including interviews with two standout demoing companies- Tweezr and Keyless. Also- $15 billion becomes the new $10 billion, and Illinois’ interchange glass looks less than half full.
America’s Credit Unions CEO Scott Simpson reflects on his first 90 days in the role and offers a preview of March’s Government Affairs Conference. Barlow Research Managing Partner Sandy Hanson shares new and unexpected insights on how SMBs prefer to engage with financial providers. Also- PayPal’s plunge brings another of our 2025 BIGgo squares back into play, and an insider’s uncommon take on FTX.
TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 10, 2026 — As fraud grows more coordinated and technologically sophisticated, credit unions and community banks face an urgent challenge: defending against networked threats with isolated tools.
Glen connects with Randy Salser to discuss his initial takeaways as NACUSO’s new CEO, and why this April’s Reimagine conference is a must-attend for credit unions as well as CUSOs. Also- Playing 3-D Chess with Trump Accounts, and a deep-pocketed twist on a de novo CU.
Glen speaks with Karen Houghton, Co-Founder/CEO of Infinite Giving, about how to narrow the financial services gap facing nonprofit entities. Also- the latest on the Credit Card Competition Act and proposed 10% rate cap, and a new forum for tackling the real-time issues facing credit unions.
Meet The BIGcast Network
The fintech industry is evolving rapidly, and the BIGcast is here to delve into its impact on the credit union industry. Our esteemed guests from across the financial, technology and security sectors will provide thrilling perspectives on the latest fintech innovations that are poised to revolutionize the way we handle our finances. Each week join thought-leader, John Best and subject matter expert, Glen Sarvady as they take a quick dive into the financial industry’s current breakthroughs and latest hot topics.
John Best
CEO, Best Innovation Group
Glen Sarvady
Managing Principal, 154 Advisors