Ray Birch

BELLEVUE, Ohio—At a time when many financial institutions are still struggling to bridge language gaps with staffing alone, one Ohio credit union found a relatively simple—and surprisingly affordable—way to turn every frontline employee into a multilingual communicator.

DOVER, Del.— As the Senate moves closer to approving the CLARITY Act, one provision has emerged as perhaps the most contentious for community financial institutions: whether cryptocurrency platforms will ultimately be allowed to offer stablecoin "rewards" that critics say amount to interest by another name.

ROCKLAND, Mass.—By every measure, artificial intelligence is reshaping financial services. But while much of the conversation has centered on chatbots, fraud detection and member-facing applications, one Massachusetts credit union has quietly found value in a far less glamorous corner of the business: the back office.

PITTSBURGH— The credit unions posting the strongest growth in 2026 aren't necessarily spending more on marketing—they're spending smarter, according to executives from BlastPoint, who told a well-attended webinar that precision targeting, member reactivation and attracting the right new members have become the defining characteristics separating the industry's fastest-growing institutions from those quietly losing ground.

ROCKY HILL, Conn.-Credit unions that view the revised Clarity Act simply as legislation governing stablecoins are missing its far broader strategic implications, according to Jon Ungerland, CIO and chief of staff at DaLand CUSO.

SAN ANTONIO—By acquiring PayPal, Stripe wouldn't simply create a larger payments company—it could accelerate the emergence of a consumer financial powerhouse capable of competing more directly with banks and credit unions for payments, deposits and everyday financial relationships.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Credit unions increasingly recognize that aging lending platforms are limiting growth, increasing compliance and cybersecurity risks, and making it harder to compete, but many lack the staff and resources needed to modernize before those risks become more costly, according to new research from lending technology provider Carleton.

AVENTURA, Fla.— Standing together on the main stage at the Defense Credit Union Council's Annual Conference here, the leaders of the credit union movement's two largest national trade groups delivered a unified message that the industry's future will depend less on individual advocacy victories and more on collaboration as banks, fintechs and political opponents intensify pressure on the cooperative model.

WASHINGTON— Open banking may no longer be a looming regulatory requirement for most credit unions—but ignoring it could still prove costly.

NEW YORK— The reported interest by several of the nation's largest banks in acquiring Fiserv's debit card network has largely been viewed as another chapter in the long-running battle over interchange fees and the Durbin Amendment.