Continuing our holiday tradition, John and Glen welcome regular contributors Anne Legg and Lou Grilli to share thoughts on the happenings that made them grateful (Fintech and credit union-wise) over the past year. Includes takes on the GENIUS Act, shutdown relief, and the Napster Age of AI.

Links related to this episode:

Thrive Strategic Services- Where Anne Legg Creates More Awesome: https://www.anneleggthrive.com/

Lou Grilli: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lougrilli/

Chip Filson's "Just a Member" blog: https://chipfilson.com/

Arnall Golden Gregory's take on the proposed Visa/Mastercard settlement: https://www.agg.com/news-insights/publications/settled-for-certain-the-latest-proposed-settlement-in-the-visa-and-mastercard-mdl-litigation-and-its-likely-effect-on-surcharging/

LAST CALL for our BIG-Go Card: https://bingobaker.com/#67a12342928998c6



Join us for our final CU Town Hall of 2025- Wednesday December 17 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/in/glensarvady/

Part 2 of our VentureTech coverage features Glen's interviews with founders of all three finalists from the main stage event: Matt Dicou of Reset, Cary Fortin of Goodbuy and Jordan Mackler of ScribeUp. Also- Chase pushes forward with its "pay for data" model.

Links related to this episode:

Reset: https://www.getreset.co/

Goodbuy: https://www.trygoodbuy.com/

ScribeUp: https://www.scribeup.io

Last week's episode featuring Aries Fraud Solutions, KeySavvy and Remynt: https://www.big-fintech.com/launching-from-obscurity-venturing-into-the-mainstream/

VentureTech: https://myventuretech.com/

CNBC's take on JPMorgan Chase's traction in charging for open banking data: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/14/jpmorgan-chase-fintech-fees.html

William Mills' annual Financial Trade Show/Conference Directory: https://info.williammills.com/financial-trade-show-conference-directory-2026

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday November 19 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for 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/in/glensarvady/

In our first wave of VentureTech coverage Glen speaks with a trio of co-founders, from Launch Party winners Aries Fraud Solutions (unveiling its Obscurity Card) and main stage standouts KeySavvy and Remynt. Also- skepticism meets déjà vu on the proposed Visa/Mastercard settlement.

Links related to this episode:

Aries Fraud Solutions: https://www.ariesfraudsolutions.com/

KeySavvy: https://www.keysavvy.com/

Remynt: https://getremynt.com/

VentureTech: https://myventuretech.com/

Reuters' take on the proposed Visa/Mastercard merchant settlement: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/visa-mastercard-reach-revised-swipe-fee-settlement-with-merchants-2025-11-10/


Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday November 19 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for 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/in/glensarvady/

John and Glen tackle the key takeaways from recent market headlines: Open Ai's commercial relationship with Walmart, the temporary "de-pegging" of so-called stablecoin Ethena (USDe), and the warning flare it sets off for broader stablecoin adoption. Plus- Zelle goes global, and people still have a lot to say about Section 1033.

Links related to this episode:


The Open AI/Walmart partnership: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/14/walmart-openai-chatgpt-shopping.html

The Crypto Times' coverage of USDe's brief "depeg" incident: https://www.cryptotimes.io/2025/10/13/ethena-founder-clarifies-usde-stablecoin-depeg-incident-on-binance/

Zelle's move into stablecoin and cross-border payments: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zelle-goes-international-early-warning-expands-1t-payments-network-with-stablecoin-initiative-302593440.html

Payments Dive's article on the deluge of Section 1033 comments: https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/cfpb-open-banking-comments-stripe-jpmorgan-mastercard-aba-fta-eta/803570/

FedNow's Q3 transaction and volume data: https://www.frbservices.org/resources/financial-services/fednow/quarterly-volume-value-stats

RTP's Q3 transaction and volume data: https://www.theclearinghouse.org/payment-systems/rtp


Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday November 19 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for 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/in/glensarvady/

Glen boils down the prevailing themes from this year's Money 20/20 conference, upping the ante via interviews with a pair of compelling startups (Eloquent AI and RentFlow) and Paze's update on securing identity through the digital wallet. Also- Fiserv shakes investors to the core, and open banking continues to ruffle feathers.

Links related to this episode:

Eloquent AI: https://www.eloquentai.co/

RentFlow: https://www.therentflow.com/

Paze: https://www.paze.com/

A credit union-specific take on Fiserv's stock meltdown: https://chipfilson.com/2025/10/a-surprise-for-1254-credit-unions-heads-up-for-everyone-else/

Western Union's stablecoin play: https://ir.westernunion.com/news/archived-press-releases/press-release-details/2025/Western-Union-Announces-USDPT-Stablecoin-on-Solana-and-Digital-Asset-Network/default.aspx

PayPal and Google Cloud's agentic AI gambit: https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/financial-services/introducing-an-agentic-commerce-solution-for-merchants-from-paypal-and-google-cloud


Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday November 19 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for 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/in/glensarvady/

Glen speaks with the Financial Health Network's Andrew Warren about takeaways from the newly minted Financial Health Pulse Trends report, including the persistent challenges in maintaining gains in financial stability. Also- the latest real-time payments data begs new questions, and Glen eats crow on Nvidia.

Links related to this episode:

The Financial Health Network's 2025 US Pulse Trends report: https://finhealthnetwork.org/research/financial-health-pulse-2025-u-s-trends-report/

The Financial Health Network's EMERGE 2026 conference, May 19-21 in Atlanta: https://finhealthnetwork.org/event/emerge-financial-health-2026/

FedNow's Q3 transaction and volume data: https://www.frbservices.org/resources/financial-services/fednow/quarterly-volume-value-stats

RTP's Q3 transaction and volume data: https://www.theclearinghouse.org/payment-systems/rtp

VentureTech in Frisco, Texas November 3-5; A FEW SCHOLARSHIPS STILL AVAILABLE FOR CUs UNDER $250M: : https://myventuretech.com/

The Underground Collision at Money 20/20 (Saturday Oct 25, separate admission): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-underground-collision-of-contrasts-with-money2020-tickets-1280066426139?aff=oddtdtcreator USE PROMO CODE "50BIGFIN" FOR A 50% DISCOUNT


Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday November 19 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for 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/in/glensarvady/

The Smart Money in Vegas

Glen connects with Money 20/20 CEO Tracey Davies to discuss what to expect from this year's extravaganza following a year of remarkable disruption and advancement. Also- a not-so-genius stablecoin wake-up call, and why "digital gold" may be a more accurate descriptor for Bitcoin than intended.

Links related to this episode:

Money 20/20, October 26-29 in Las Vegas: https://us.money2020.com/

CB Insights on the Money 20/20 Award finalists: https://www.cbinsights.com/reports/CB-Insights_Money2020-Finalist-Spotlight-2025.pdf

The Underground Collision at Money 20/20 (Saturday Oct 25, separate admission): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2025-underground-collision-of-contrasts-with-money2020-tickets-1280066426139?aff=oddtdtcreator USE PROMO CODE "50BIGFIN" FOR A 50% DISCOUNT

Glen's 2023 blog encapsulating Money 20/20's eras in t-shirts: https://www.big-fintech.com/the-history-of-money-20-20-in-three-t-shirts/

CNN on last Friday's crypto hiccup: https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/13/business/crypto-bitcoin-price-drop-trump-tariffs
Live Bitcoin News on USDe's murky status: https://www.livebitcoinnews.com/crypto-news-ethenas-usde-is-not-a-stablecoin-okx-founder-says/

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday October 15 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. Quantum computing will be among the topics discussed this session, but expect some stablecoin talk as well. 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/in/glensarvady/

https://www.big-fintech.com/the-great-wealth-transfer-great-inheritance-drain/John and Glen speak with Defense Credit Union Council CEO Tony Hernandez about his organization's rapidly increasing visibility and how the armed forces' impact on the credit union movement extends well beyond the expected nameplates. Also- the shutdown creates new complexities for earned wage access, Bitcoin breaks the $125K barrier, and plenty of bingo card calls.


Links related to this episode:

The Defense Credit Union Council (including government shutdown resources): https://www.dcuc.org/

The CU Daily's recent interview with DCUC CEO Tony Hernandez: https://thecudaily.com/the-defense-cu-council-goes-on-the-offense-echoes-a-page-from-cu-history/

Create your own 2025 BIGGo card: https://bingobaker.com/#67a12342928998c6

Our recent interview with earned wage access provider Veep Software (among other startups): https://www.big-fintech.com/the-great-wealth-transfer-great-inheritance-drain/

Our April blog about the Executive Order "eliminating" government paper checks: https://www.big-fintech.com/executive-order-to-eliminate-checks-isnt-worth-the-paper-its-printed-on/

BCG's 2025 Global Payments Report: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/global-payments-transformation-amid-instability

McKinsey's 2025 Global Payments Report: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/global-payments-report

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday October 15 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. Quantum computing will be among the topics discussed this session, given HSBC's announced financial services breakthrough. 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/in/glensarvady/