Our continuing coverage of the NACUSO Reimagine and Nacha Smarter Faster Payments conferences features a pair of interviews: NACUSO's advocacy lead Zach Pfister on modernizing investment rules to match 2026 realities, and Dykema's Lauren Quigley on FIs' role as open banking realists, creating a safe environment for the inevitable.

Links related to this episode:

• Lauren Quigley/Dykema's Fintech/Payments practice: https://www.dykema.com/services/industries/financial-services/fintech-payments-and-digital-commerce.html
• NACUSO CEO Randy Salser's Interview with the Credit Union Connection re: the 1% investment cap: https://thecreditunionconnection.com/cusos-nacuso-ceo-randy-salser-interview/
• Security expert (and Friend of BIG) Roger Grimes voices his AI concerns: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rogeragrimes_share-7458496907447971840-n2hX
• Our recent CU Town Hall "AI Fear Factory" session: https://www.big-fintech.com/cu-town-hall-episode-146-credit-union-ai-fear-factory/
• Prominent tech VC investor a16z explains why it believes the term "stablecoin" may soon be obsolete: https://a16zcrypto.substack.com/p/why-stablecoins-wont-age-well
• Nacha: https://www.nacha.org/
• NACUSO Reimagine: https://reimagine.nacuso.org/

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday May 20 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Next on the conference calendar: The Financial Health Network's EMERGE, May 19-21 in Atlanta: https://finhealthnetwork.org/event/emerge-financial-health-2026/ USE CODE "JOINME-GLEN" FOR A DISCOUNTED RATE


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Glen gathers highlights from the annual conferences for both Nacha in San Diego and NACUSO in Orlando, including conversations with Nacha CEO Jane Larimer on Same Day ACH milestones, Duome Co-Founder Eric Berg on a Next Big Idea for housing, and the Digital Sovereignty Alliance's Molly Woodman on the state of stablecoin.

Links related to this episode:

• Nacha: https://www.nacha.org/
• Duome: https://www.myduome.com/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericberg-dntblnk/
• The Digital Sovereignty Alliance: https://dsaf.org/ and https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-sovereignty-alliance/
• NACUSO Reimagine: https://reimagine.nacuso.org/
• Next on the conference calendar: The Financial Health Network's EMERGE, May 19-21 in Atlanta: https://finhealthnetwork.org/event/emerge-financial-health-2026/ (USE CODE "JOINME-GLEN" FOR A DISCOUNTED RATE)

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday May 20 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/
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Glen speaks with Andrew Warren about the Financial Health Network's new report which makes the case for modernizing the definition of underbanked consumers. Also- X Money makes its long-promised debut, and the OCC potentially rides to the rescue of interchange (and workable payment processes). Plus a discount code for May's fast-approaching EMERGE conference.

Links related to this episode:

• The Financial Health Network's latest 26-page "brief": Unbanked, Underbanked, or Something Else Entirely
• The Financial Health Network's EMERGE conference, May 19-21 in Atlanta: https://finhealthnetwork.org/event/emerge-financial-health-2026/
  USE CODE "JOINME-GLEN" FOR A DISCOUNTED RATE
• Ron Shevlin's take on the prospects for X Money- https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronshevlin/2026/04/17/musks-x-money-how-it-could-win-and-why-it-wont/
• Payments Dive on the OCC's move to short-circuit Illinois' Interchange Fee Prohibition Act: https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/occ-plans-to-preempt-illinois-interchange-law/817618/
• Our recent conversation with Ncontracts' Stephanie Lyon about the shifting regulatory environment, including interchange battles: https://www.big-fintech.com/the-states-of-financial-regulation/

If CU Unplugged's style of hands-on problem solving sounds like your cup of collaborative tea, check out our Innovation Club. This group of forward thinkers meets virtually each month, and our twice-annual in-person session is coming up in May. Reach out about a guest pass: https://www.big-fintech.com/innovation-club/

Follow us on LinkedIn:
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Glen connects with Senso Co-Founder/CEO Saroop Bharwani about his firm's approach to addressing some of the greatest disruptions emerging from the Agentic AI explosion. Also- Gen Z perspectives continue to evolve and surprise, and behavioral science gets a sidecar.

Links related to this episode:

• Senso: https://www.senso.ai/
• Saroop Bharwani's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saroopbharwani/
• The near-classic Finovate debut Best of Show demo from Debbie (including a Noom reference): https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2022-debbie/
• Debbie's recent $5.3 million fundraise: https://coverager.com/trustage-ventures-backs-debbie/
• Our recent episode on reevaluating the criteria of underbanked consumers: https://www.big-fintech.com/is-the-underbanked-concept-ripe-for-a-rethink/

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday May 20 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/

https://www.linkedin.com/n/glensarvady/

Glen speaks with the CEOs of two sub-$100 million CUs (Josh Urbick and Doug Wadsworth) about their respective efforts to advance the small credit union cause. Also, the latest developments at Anthropic and Coinbase highlight the perils facing CUs- and financial services in general.

Links related to this episode:

• The NSCUA's LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-small-credit-union-association/
• The Endangered Small Credit Union Defense's LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14776042/
• CU Daily's coverage of the NSCUA's formation: https://thecudaily.com/new-group-for-cus-under-500-million-in-assets-unveils-its-name/
• Doug Wadsworth's Profitability Guidebook for Small CUs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP4D9FZM
• Doug's recent CU Daily article: https://thecudaily.com/you-cant-regulate-bad-managers-into-good-ones-but-you-can-do-this/
• Wellesley Hill's thoughtful analysis of Coinbase's new Federal Trust Charter: https://www.wellesleyhillsfinancial.com/2026/04/12/coinbase-wins-federal-trust-charter-what-it-means-for-crypto-custody/
• Reuters on the race for FIs to defend against threats posed by Anthropic's new capabilities: https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/bessent-powell-warn-bank-ceos-about-anthropic-model-risks-bloomberg-news-reports-2026-04-10/
• Our recent episode recapping CU Unplugged, including an interview with small CU CEO Maggie Sayer: https://www.big-fintech.com/mission-rock-accomplished/

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday April 15 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

If CU Unplugged's style of hands-on problem solving sounds like your cup of collaborative tea, check out our Innovation Club. This group of forward thinkers meets virtually each month, and our twice-annual in-person session is coming up in May. Reach out about a guest pass: https://www.big-fintech.com/innovation-club/

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Glen recaps an action-packed CU Unplugged "un-conference," featuring unique perspectives from leaders of three participating credit unions (Keys FCU, Mid Hudson Valley FCU, State Department FCU) and real-time reflections from Defense Credit Union Council President & CEO Tony Hernandez.

Links related to this episode:

• Keys Federal Credit Union: https://www.keysfcu.org/
• State Department Federal Credit Union: https://www.sdfcu.org/
• Jonathan Cilley, CIO of Mid Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathancilley/
• The Defense Credit Union Council: https://www.dcuc.org/
• Visa's Innovation and Market Support Center in San Francisco's Mission Rock Neighborhood: https://corporate.visa.com/en/sites/visa-perspectives/company-news/mission-rock-market-support-center.html
• Our recent stablecoin conversation with TruStage Managing Director Brian Kaas: https://www.big-fintech.com/stablecoins-and-ai-need-we-say-more/

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday April 15 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

If CU Unplugged's style of hands-on problem solving sounds like your cup of collaborative tea, check out our Innovation Club. This group of forward thinkers meets virtually each month, and our twice-annual in-person session is coming up in May. Reach out about a guest pass: https://www.big-fintech.com/innovation-club/

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/

https://www.linkedin.com/n/glensarvady/

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.

Links related to this episode:

• TruStage Stablecoin: https://www.trustage.com/business-solutions/stablecoin
• Glia's Banking AI Benchmarks Report: https://go.glia.com/banking-ai-benchmark-data-2026
• CU Broadcast's segment recorded in DC with Glen, Anne Legg and Lou Grilli sharing their key GAC takeaways: https://www.cubroadcast.com/episodes/gac26-credit-union-industry-thought-leaders-share-their-top-gac-reflections
• Glen's November 2023 interview with Penny Finance Founder Crissi Cole: https://www.big-fintech.com/venturing-further-into-venturetech/
• Our prior episode featuring GAC interviews with CUltivate AI (purpose-built AI for credit unions) and Americas Credit Unions' economics team: https://www.big-fintech.com/chicken-wings-not-sharp-elbows/

Check out CU Unplugged, an unscripted, participant-powered gathering designed to foster unfiltered conversation on the topics participants deem most critical. The event is open to all credit union leaders, but the group will be kept intentionally small for maximum impact. Join us March 30 – April 2 at Visa's Market Support Center in San Francisco- Visit https://flow.page/cu-unplugged to learn more and register.

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday March 18 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions. This month we'll discuss key takeaways from the recent Government Affairs Conference. If you missed GAC it's a great chance to catch up. If you were there, compare notes with your colleagues. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

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Our final batch of America's Credit Unions GAC coverage- Glen speaks with Ncontracts' Stephanie Lyon about the shifting yet inevitable regulatory/compliance landscape. Also- another Domino falls on Paze's roadmap, and Illinois' interchange debacle proves too geeky for prediction markets- but not for a punk rock reference.

Links related to this episode:

• Ncontracts' blog: https://www.ncontracts.com/nsight-blog
• Stephanie Lyon via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-lyon-8a9b6257/
• Paze's addition of Citi and Domino's: https://www.digitaltransactions.net/dominos-and-payrange-add-the-paze-wallet-option/
• Taft Law's PayTech practice: https://www.taftlaw.com/services/practices/paytech-and-payment-systems/
• Our prior GAC coverage, featuring TruStage's Stablecoin and Glia https://www.big-fintech.com/stablecoins-and-ai-need-we-say-more/ and CUltivate AI/ ACU's Economics Team https://www.big-fintech.com/chicken-wings-not-sharp-elbows/
  

LAST CHANCE! Join us at CU Unplugged, an unscripted, participant-powered gathering designed to foster unfiltered conversation on the topics participants deem most critical. The event is open to all credit union leaders, but the group will be kept intentionally small for maximum impact. Join us March 30 – April 2 at Visa's Market Support Center in San Francisco- Visit https://www.cu-unplugged.com/ to learn more and register.

Follow us on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/