“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.
What Makes SPACs So Special?
Glen chats with Wall Street veteran and Forbes contributor Jeff Gapusan about the meteoric rise of SPACs and the sudden appeal of this obscure (until recently) investment vehicle. Als
Hacking a Tesla? Or a Credit Union?
“Recovering hacker” Alissa Knight shares her frightening first-hand experience breaching dozens of mobile banking apps and other Internet of Things embedded systems. Also- Ant Financials’ lower valuation and the UK’s Buy Now Pay Later reckoning.
The Future (and Past) of Cash
Like virtually every aspect of life, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered our relationship with cash- perhaps permanently in some aspects, but temporarily in others. This makes it an intriguing time for an industry conference titled The Future of Cash. I’m sure some snarky folks will quip that cash has no future.
Car Buyers and Rule Makers
Credit Union Journal editor Aaron Passman discusses the trends he’s watching in the credit union space- including unexpected car shopping, states revamping regulation, and the ongoing hunt for scale. Plus the latest twists in the GameStop/Reddit saga.
Plaid Direct Deposit- Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
You’ve probably seen the bumper stick that reads, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” Based on recent news I’m offering a new spin for leaders of credit unions and community banks: If you’re not terrified, you’re not paying attention.
Consumers Want Digital- But What Does That Mean?
Glen speaks with Karl Dahlgren about BAI’s annual Banking Outlook and some potential disconnects between consumer and industry focus areas. Also, the latest on Affirm, Plaid, Walmart’s fintech foray, and changes at the CFPB and OCC.
SolarWinds- What’s the Next Blowback?
The SolarWinds breach has targeted government systems- so far. Its eventual impact on FIs and other firms remains both a mystery and a major risk. Cybersecurity experts Jim Stickley (Stickley on Security) and Jeff Olejnik (Wipfli) help us sort through the details and next steps to this new form of attack.
Predicting Bitcoin’s Price- and Other Fool’s Errands
lready feels trivial to revisit 2020’s twists and turns, but we at BIG believe it’s important to hold ourselves to account. Our last blog assessed the accuracy of several of the fintech predictions we made as the curtain raised on 2020, including Big Tech incursions, strategic acquisitions and security breaches.