Cash? Credit? Both? Neither? Huh?

In a recent blog post I addressed pandemic-driven changes in consumer payment behavior and the apparent confusion over both health factors and the economics of various payment instruments. Since then the plot has only thickened- with lawsuits filed, misinformation propagated, and no sign of clarity on the horizon. Allow me to update the situation through a variety of personal anecdotes and news items.
Elon Musk Expects a Population Collapse- What’s a Credit Union To Do?

Some futurists expect population declines by mid-century, with a US reversal coming even sooner. What would this scenario mean for financial services? Also, John grills Bitcoin Loser Glen about the wisdom of being paid entirely in crypto.
Forget the Pandemic; What about Population Collapse?

How would a population collapse alter banking as we know it?
Elon Musk and Jack Ma have both publicly stated that their biggest concern for the future is not over-population, but rather under-population. Many thought leaders have raised similar concerns, noting that our current societal structures are ill-equipped to handle such a scenario
Payments Leaders, and the Consumers Who (Might) Follow

Glen speaks with Fiserv SVP of Government Relations Kim Ford about the newly created Payments Leadership Council and BAI Research Director Karl Dahlgren about the surprising ways each generation’s banking attitudes have shifted since the pandemic.
Interchange Agida- Mixed Messages at the Point of Sale

As Americans gradually emerge from quarantine- whether self-imposed or government-mandated- it remains to be seen how consumers’ relationship with Main Street merchants has changed for the long run. Conventional wisdom holds that existing market trends toward digitization received a 12- to 18-month jolt forward from the pandemic.
University FCU Enables Account Access by Voice for Members, Receives Amazon Certification for New Alexa Skill

Best Innovation Group (BIG), a technology and financial services innovator, is pleased to announce that Utah-based University Federal Credit Union ($1.4 billion in assets, 105,000 members) has received certification for its first conversational banking application hosted on BIG’s FIVE Conversational Banking Platform.
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.
Best Innovation Group upgrades three more credit unions to conversational chat platform

Best Innovation Group (BIG), a technology and financial services innovator, is excited to announce that three more of its credit union partners have received certifications for conversational banking applications hosted on BIG’s FIVE Conversational Banking Platform.