Join John Best at the next CU Town Hall Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 at 3 PM ET
Recorded live for the first time ever at ACU’s Strategic Growth Conference, this CU Town Hall took on a lively “Pardon the Interruption” format as John Best, Joe Keller (Visions), Karen Bejarano (TruWest), and Glen Sarvady (154 Advisors) tackled today’s most pressing industry issues. From the CFPB, open banking, stablecoins, AI & quantum, branch strategy, next-gen members/wealth transfer, fraud, and fintech partnerships—this fast-paced session delivered candid insights, audience interaction, and plenty of laughs.
Authentic Intelligence in Financial Health
Glen shares highlights from the Financial Health Network’s EMERGE conference, including interviews with a pair of trailblazing co-founders: Debbie Rewards’ Frida Leibowitz and Prosprous.ai’s Ted Leung. Also- Illinois kicks the interchange can down the road (again), Pope Leo pleads for humanity in AI, and a campaign to repurpose dopamine hits for financial wellness.
CU Town Hall Episode 147: The ChatGPT Finance Era
In this session, John Best explores the launch of ChatGPT’s new finance capabilities and what the rise of AI-powered financial agents could mean for credit unions and financial institutions. The discussion covers personalized financial management, subscription tracking, agentic AI, data ownership, member relationships, and the opportunities — and risks — facing financial institutions as AI becomes more integrated into consumers’ financial lives.
New Analysis Supports Credit Union “Everyman” Claims
Based on the size of the audience Americas Credit Unions’ economic team attracts, I’m clearly not the only one who considers their Economic Update one of the highlights of the annual government Affairs Conference.
Aurachain and Best Innovation Group Launch Fraud.Watch for Shared Fraud Defense
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.