2025 Predictions: A Bingo Card for the Ages
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.
Scams, Grievances and the Enduring Value of Trust
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.
Did You Have That One On Your Bingo Card?
What started as an offhand comment- “I bet you didn’t have that on your bingo card”- took on a life of its own.
Reimagining Innovation, CUSOs and Big Ideas
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.
Where Do the Chips Fall After DeepSeek?
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.
How Quickly to Quantum?
John and Glen connect with noted security expert Roger Grimes to untangle the recent developments in quantum computing and discuss why Roger believes the big encryption-obliterating breakthrough will come sooner rather than later- if it hasn’t already.
Making Sense of Trump’s Crypto Executive Order
It took a mere four days back in office for President Trump to issue his Executive Order, “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology.” Somehow it managed to qualify as a bit of a letdown for some crypto enthusiasts who had become convinced their cause was a high enough priority to warrant a mention in the inaugural address.
Crypto Clarity- The Next Frontier
Glen speaks with BankSocial COO and former credit union CEO Becky Reed about what credit unions should expect from “the most crypto-friendly administration in US history,” including regulatory clarity and a symbiotic relationship between crypto and AI. Plus- notes from the DC Crypto Ball, and a very busy Bingo card.
Recapping 2024’s BIGgest Credit Union/Fintech Stories
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.
Without Data, It’s All Just Vibes
Glen kicks off the 2025 BIGCast season with Bancography President Steve Reider and a deep dive into branch dynamics. We all know the number of branches is declining but a close look at the data reveals several intriguing subplots (psst… it’s not the credit unions downsizing). Plus the return of BIGCast movie reviews!