Building a Bank for People on Mars….
Fintech visionaries Brett King, Theo Lau, and Chris Skinner join our Digital Town Hall for a robust exchange on how the future of credit unions- and the economy itself- has been altered by the pandemic.
The Keys to Out-Partnering Your Competition
A recent Best Innovation Group webinar focused on the three things your credit union can do now to prepare for the pace of accelerated change. The insights shared by industry leaders John Best and Kevin Sarber are well worth an hour of your time. Here, however, I’ll drill down on one key point that particularly resonates for me.
Creator Commerce and Other Payment Innovations
Glen speaks with PayPal Ventures Operating Partner Peggy Mangot about exciting fintech opportunities, unmet market needs, and her experience launching a challenger bank within the walls of a Top Five FI.
Finovate Europe’s Breakthrough Ideas
Glen connects with leaders from his three favorite Finovate Europe solutions: Best of Show winner (and newly minted Unicorn) Quantum Metric, Iceland-based Meniga’s green banking spin, and WUA’s savvy twist on digital analytics.
Mind, Body, and Wallet
Glen speaks with leaders of Mintel Comperemedia and FMCG Direct about the latest messaging trends in financial services marketing, and quickly acting on “life-event triggers.” Also- a major development in the interchange wars, the “stimmy,” and a PR win for Chime.
One Year of Digital Town Halls- and a BIG Anniversary Party
Media coverage of last week’s Visa/Mastercard settlement predictably- and appropriately- focused on the impact to merchants and the card network behemoths. Fortunately most news outlets avoided the dubious claim that consumers would somehow benefit from the estimated $30 billion fee concession (there were exceptions- looking at you, New York Times).
Fintech Talents- for Credit Unions and Beyond
I’ve been flying the “can’t we all just get along?” banner for some time. Credit unions and community banks?- there’s a lot more that should unite than divide us. Fintech firms as friends or foes of financial institutions?- sure, some will choose to compete head-on but there are plenty of mutually beneficial avenues for collaboration.
The Pace of Change- Don’t Just Brace Yourself, Equip Yourself
I think we can all agree that the pace of change impacting credit union operations in 2020 was- without the risk of hyperbole- unprecedented. Branches closed for extended periods. Employees performed core duties from home that conventional wisdom long held were impossible to move off premise.
“At Our Best When Things are at Their Worst”
Glen shares highlights of CUNA’s just-completed Government Affairs Conference, including an interview with CUNA Economists Mike Schenk and Jordan Van Rijn recapping their always popular Economic Update and implications for both Main Street and credit unions. Plus acquisitions, re-brandings, and (slim) hopes for crossing the aisle.
What’s So Special about SPACs?
My barometer for when an arcane finance topic has crossed into the mainstream tilts when my twentysomething artist daughter asks me about it. We’ve already had two such events this year- first came the “short squeeze” around the GameStop fiasco. Now we have Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations (SPACs), which even Hollywood celebrities are suddenly embracing as the “it” investment vehicle.