Glen recaps an action-packed Government Affairs Conference, featuring our annual interview with America’s Credit Unions’ Economics Team on the coming year’s outlook. An “existential threat” to the industry’s income tax exemption headlined a packed agenda, but the CFPB, NCUA and interchange legislation were also on the menu- not to mention tariff whiplash and market uncertainty.
Keep pace with the rapidly evolving fintech industry by subscribing to the BIGcast Network.
Get weekly insights from industry leaders John Best and Glen Sarvady, delivered straight to your preferred podcast platform. Join our community and stay informed about the latest trends shaping the credit union industry. Subscribe today and ensure you’re always ahead of the curve.
Media
Glen quizzes John about his initiative leveraging social media app BlueSky’s open source architecture to create a moderated, inclusive platform for credit union dialogue and experimentation. Also- threading the needle at the Governmental Affairs Conference.
In this session, we are "pre-gaming" for next week's Governmental Affairs Conference. Even if- especially if- you don't plan on attending the largest annual gathering of credit union leaders, we gathered info on your open questions and the burning issues you're most interested in hearing about. BIG's experts, as well as other colleagues, will then serve as your onsite "eyes and ears" to capture the key takeaways emerging on these topics.
A flurry of year-end data provided valuable insight on the state of faster payments in the US and prompted some organizational chest-thumping. It also breathes new life into the question, “how fast is fast enough?”
Glen speaks with DePaul University professor and financial innovation expert Lamont Black about his recent work on a blockchain-based secondary loan market to unlock credit union liquidity and reduce costs. Also- Chase tries to keep Zelle in the “friends and family,” and 2024 payment stats beg the question “how fast is fast enough?”
May you live in interesting times…. John and Glen join with Anne Legg and John Janclaes to speculate on the big events poised to frame the coming year. Our panel foresees the best of times and worst of times for AI, a flurry of mergers, breakthroughs in mortgage lending, and regulatory roulette. Oh, and our annual disagreement on Bitcoin and crypto.
Glen shares a pair of interviews from last week’s Deluxe Exchange conference- Scamnetic co-founder Al Pascual on a startup’s mission to preempt fraud earlier in the pipeline, and Deidre Campbell on a few financial services silver linings amid troubling data from the annual Edelman Trust Barometer. Also- Bingo cards and the CFPB carousel.
In this session, we opened the floor to discuss the latest issues shaping the credit union industry. With the recent shutdown of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), alongside discussions on the proposed 10% cap on credit card interest rates and renewed debates over credit unions' tax-exempt status, there is no better time to connect, share insights, and strategize for the future.
Glen speaks with NACUSO’s Interim CEO- and serial CUSO founder- Miriam Ackerman about plans for the group’s Reimagine conference this April in Las Vegas, including a juiced up Next Big Idea competition. Also- a quick summary of the busiest credit union news week in recent memory.
What started as an offhand comment- “I bet you didn’t have that on your bingo card”- took on a life of its own.
John and Glen (mostly John) sort through the details of the still-evolving DeepSeek story. They assess how much of the freakout is warranted (is it “a Sputnik moment”?) and propose a scenario in which it may actually represent a *plus* for credit unions. Also- yet another twist in the Illinois interchange saga.
In this session, we continued the conversation from December around the evolving regulatory environment and its impact on financial institutions, focusing on what to expect with the incoming administration, including the ongoing debates around H1B visa policies and their implications for innovation and growth.
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