Our final BIGCast of 2024 featured a roundtable discussion of the year’s stories we deemed most impactful for credit unions. Here’s a summary for those of you who prefer the printed word- taking liberties as the author of this piece, I’ve added a pair of bonus picks.
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Our esteemed panel (Anne Legg of Thrive Strategic Services, John Janclaes of Nymbus CUSO, Glen Sarvady of 154 Advisors) join John Best to opine on the biggest stories impacting credit unions and fintech in 2025- Mergers and Fraudsters and AI, oh my!
Almost precisely sixteen months after launching its long anticipated network of instant payment rails, in late November the Federal Reserve finally shared volume metrics for its FedNow service. While a welcome addition to our understanding of the landscape, the data is of the “glass half full/half empty” variety, and so far raises as many questions as it answers.
In this session, we covered the biggest stories of the year, highlighting their impact on the credit union industry and what they could mean for the future. From emerging trends to major industry shifts, we took a closer look at the developments that have shaped 2024.
Glen connects with Payfinia CUSO General Manager Keith Riddle and Star One Credit Union’s EVP of Operations Minal Gupta about the newly minted CUSO aiming to streamline CUs’ provision of instant payment services. Also, newly released FedNow data reveals some unexpected twists.
Insightful conversations with three founders whose startups stood out at VentureTech: Joe Gracia of Pitch Competition winner Nickels/CardFit, Blesson Abraham of Aviary AI and Danial Jameel of Saris AI. Also, the Kelce brothers and Joe Montana unexpectedly find their way into the discussion.
Continuing our annual tradition, John and Glen glide through a fintech wonderland with Anne Legg (Thrive Strategic Services) and John Janclaes (Nymbus CUSO), sharing thoughts on things they’re thankful for across our collaborative community- from the expected (AI, the innovative spirit) to the counter-intuitive (fraud levels, fintech funding).
Twenty-five young fintechs. 74 credit unions. This November’s edition of VentureTech assembled a potent mix of players designed to drive engagement across the ecosystem- fostering both the investment in and adoption of new solutions.
In this session, we conducted an analysis of the impact of fraud on credit unions. With fraud rates on the rise, proactive measures are essential for effective defense. We examined the most prevalent types of fraud currently affecting credit unions, identified emerging trends and risks that may surface in the near future, and discussed prevention strategies to safeguard both your organization and your members against fraud.
Freshly back from the VentureTech conference, Glen shares interviews with Launch Party winner Ribbon and main event standout Wysh- plus plenty of key takeaways from investors, regulators, entrepreneurs and their prospective credit union partners.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Generative AI was the marquee attraction at this year’s Money 20/20 conference. The events team did its usual stellar job bringing key names to the podium- sector leaders Open AI, Nvidia, and Anthropic were well represented at the executive and panel level, sharing perspectives that haven’t yet become table stakes on the conference circuit.
Round 2 of our Money 20/20 highlights includes Glen’s interviews with a trio of founders- Andre Vellozo of DrumWave and Brittany Kaiser of the Own Your Data Foundation about a model allowing consumers to control and monetize the data they generate, and Eli Wachs of Footprint about combating fraud by whitelisting the good guys. Also- Bitcoin blows up and Cap One/Discover makes a comeback.
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