CU Town Hall Episode 145: GAC 2026 Rundown
In this session, we discussed our key takeaways from the recent Government Affairs Conference. If you missed GAC, it’s a great opportunity to watch along and catch up on the hottest financial topics coming out of DC. If you were at GAC for the excitement, we’d love for you to watch along, compare your notes, and let us know in the comments what stood out most to you from the conference.
Stablecoins and AI- Need We Say More?
Continuing our Americas Credit Unions Government Affairs Conference coverage, Managing Director Brian Kaas discusses TruStage’s new stablecoin designed specifically for credit unions, and CEO/Co-Founder Dan Michaeli shares data-driven insights from Glia’s new Banking AI Benchmarks Report. Also- fintech’s answer to the NBA Slam Dunk Competition.
Join John Best at the next CU Town Hall Wednesday, March 18th, 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.
Chicken Wings, Not Sharp Elbows
Our first batch of coverage from Americas Credit Unions’ Government Affairs Conference features an interview with the three leaders behind CUltivate- the new credit union-owned and curated foundational AI engine- plus our annual meetup with the ACU Economics Team to discuss their take on the outlook for CUs and the US economy overall.
CU Town Hall Episode 144: Movemint w/ Brian Bodell
This month’s session featured remarks from longtime industry thought leader Brian Bodell- including an update on the evolution of digital marketing/embedded finance platform Digital Storefront into Movemint, where he is now CEO.
Also, John gives us a little sneak peak of the newly unveiled “unconference” — CU Unplugged — Hosted by Defense Credit Union Council (DCUC) + Best Innovation Group at Visa’s Market Support Center in San Francisco on March 30th-April 2nd, 2026, including an Exclusive Discount Code only for CU Town Hall attendees and viewers. Make sure to watch the recording to grab your discount code! Register soon, the discount code is only valid through February 28th- https://www.cu-unplugged.com/
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.
CU Town Hall Episode 143: 2026 Credit Union Predictions
It was our first episode of the year, and the BIGCast Gang got together once more for a CU Town Hall encore edition of their 2026 Credit Union Predictions conversation! In this interactive session, we explored what the year ahead might hold, unpacking uncertainty, opportunity, and the latest breaking news that’s surfaced since the original predictions podcast episode was recorded.
2026: Do Markets Still Hate Uncertainty?
The BIGCast Gang ventures into the highly turbulent waters of 2026 fintech and credit union predictions- assessing the bright and dark sides of AI, vibe coding, the outlook for mergers, interest rates and of course, Bitcoin. Glen throws in a Rob Reiner/Stephen King reference for good measure.
Turning the Page… or Marking a Checkpoint?
The BIGCast Gang convenes for its annual roundup of the biggest stories impacting credit unions and fintechs (zero points awarded for guessing #1 on the list). Some Q1 headlines seem like ancient history, while others are gifts that just keep on giving. Bitcoin delivered its usual wild ride- but in 2025 it had plenty of company.
CU Town Hall Episode 142: 2025 Credit Union Wrapped
It’s our final episode of the year, and we closed it out with a special wrap-up of our 2025 Predictions BIGgo game! We revisited all the moments that had us wondering who would be the first to shout “BIG-GO!” and snag a free admission to any America’s Credit Union Council event in 2026.
Grab your cards and jump in to this recording as we dive into the biggest stories and hottest trends that shaped the fintech and credit union industry in 2025. We celebrated the predictions we nailed, laughed about the ones we whiffed, and ran through every last bingo call in a fun, interactive finale.