In this installment of the TechSolutions4CUs podcast, host John San Filippo explores the rapidly shifting landscape of artificial intelligence within the credit union movement. Breaking away from the show’s traditional format of interviewing credit union staff or or their technology partners, San Filippo welcomes Tom Church-Adams, the founder of CreditUnionAI News. Together, they dissect why AI is not just another tech trend, but a fundamental shift in how financial institutions must operate to survive and thrive.

Defining a New Resource: Credit Union AI News

Church-Adams discusses the genesis of his new platform, explaining that the pace of AI development is so extreme that traditional news cycles can't keep up. With major updates from entities like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic happening weekly—if not daily—credit union leaders need a "filter" to understand what these changes mean specifically for their members and their mission. The platform serves as this dedicated portal, offering everything from short, commute-ready audio snippets to deep-dive technical analysis.

AI Across the Entire Organization

A central theme of the conversation is that AI is no longer a "siloed" technology for the IT department. Church-Adams argues that every leader, from HR to Marketing to the Board of Directors, now essentially acts as their own Chief Technology Officer.

• Marketing Revolution: AI allows small teams to create high-quality content and personalized member communications at a speed previously reserved for big-budget banks.
• Lending Efficiency: By integrating AI into backend automation, lending teams can drastically increase approval rates and processing speeds.
• The Executive "Thought Partner": One of the most futuristic concepts discussed is using AI as a strategic collaborator. Church-Adams envisions a "Credit Union AI Employee Number One"—a persona that sits in virtual meetings, identifies risks, suggests process improvements, and builds on the human team's experience.

The Great Equalizer for Small Credit Unions

For smaller institutions, Church-Adams highlights AI as a massive competitive advantage. He points out that a small credit union with limited staff can "gain 10 to 15 new employees" worth of productivity simply by adopting AI tools. Instead of being intimidated by the technical barrier, small teams are encouraged to stand up dedicated "AI teams" of even just a few people to focus on organization-wide implementation and road-mapping.

Orchestration and Screenless Banking

As the industry matures, the focus shifts toward the "orchestration layer." Larger credit unions are encouraged to look at how different AI tools communicate with existing cores and payment processors. Church-Adams also offers a provocative look into the future of agentic AI. He predicts that within the next 15 months, we may see a shift toward screenless banking, where members interact with their accounts through voice-driven AI partners in their earpieces, asking for balances or making payments without ever touching a phone or web browser.

A Prediction Rooted in Mission

The episode concludes with a look at the cultural impact of AI. While big banks may use automation primarily to cut costs and serve shareholders, credit unions are uniquely positioned to use AI to further their mission of "people helping people." Church-Adams believes that if credit union leaders embrace this technology wholeheartedly, they will gain a much larger seat at the financial table, leveraging AI to empower their members in a future economy centered on "compute."

In this episode of TechSolutions4CUs, host John San Filippo sits down with Stephen Baker, CEO of Kinective, to pull back the curtain on one of the most aggressive and strategic growth stories in the credit union technology space today.

Following a massive year of acquisitions—including Epic River, Janusea, ESQ, and CompuFlex—Baker explains the master plan behind merging these disparate entities into a single, cohesive ecosystem. He breaks down how Kinective is moving beyond simple point-to-point connections to deliver a true enterprise middleware gateway, designed to give financial institutions a "single throat to choke" for all their third-party integrations.

Key topics covered in this conversation include:

• The KBOP Vision: A deep dive into the Kinective Banking Operations Platform, a central hub designed to give credit union staff a unified dashboard for managing everything from loan pipelines to e-signatures.
• The "Phygital" Branch: Why physical branches aren’t going anywhere and how Kinective is blending the digital and physical worlds—like using mobile signatures for in-person teller transactions and high-def devices that let members see exactly what they are signing.
• The Magic of Data Normalization: Why "clean data" is more than just a buzzword. Baker explains how their Datava platform handles the heavy lifting of normalizing data across different systems to create a genuine 360-degree view of the member.
• AI Beyond the Hype: How Kinective is using AI and natural language processing to let credit union employees ask simple questions of their data—like "Who has a CD expiring next month?"—and push those results directly into marketing campaigns.
• ATM & TCR Synergy: The strategic reasoning behind the ESQ and CompuFlex acquisitions, and how managing both ATMs and Teller Cash Recyclers (TCRs) under one roof provides unprecedented visibility into an institution’s total cash position.

Whether you are a credit union executive looking to simplify your tech stack or a fintech enthusiast interested in the future of "middleware," this episode provides a roadmap for how modern institutions can compete with the biggest banks by leveraging data intelligence and seamless connectivity.

In this episode of TechSolutions4CUs, host John San Filippo is joined by Angi Milano and Holly Glowaty, the co-hosts of the GTM Loop podcast. Together, they dive into the critical elements of go-to-market (GTM) strategies, exploring how fintechs can align with the credit union mission and how credit unions can position themselves as partners of choice.

Angi and Holly explain that the GTM Loop podcast was created to help fintechs navigate the tactical steps of strategy development, specifically teaching them how to speak the language of the credit union industry. The group discusses why GTM has evolved from a general business term into a vital discipline for launching products in new verticals.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Common Fintech Mistakes: The guests break down where fintechs often go wrong, such as taking a "scattershot" approach rather than finding the right fit, and relying too heavily on a single person’s connections (the Rolodex strategy) rather than building a sustainable process. Angi notes a critical error: using banking terms like "customer" instead of "member" and leading with ROI rather than mission alignment.
• The Power of Small Credit Unions: While many vendors chase the largest institutions, Angi and Holly argue that small credit unions are often more agile and eager to adopt fintech as a growth lever. They advise vendors to evaluate potential partners based on "active members" rather than just asset size.
• Credit Unions vs. Banks: The discussion clarifies the fundamental difference between these institutions. Banks often prioritize bottom-line returns, while credit unions are mission-driven cooperatives where a single member's experience can mobilize the entire team.
• AI and Data Hygiene: The trio tackles the buzz around AI. Holly stresses that institutions cannot successfully adopt AI without first cleaning up their data. They advise against using "AI for AI's sake," recommending instead that credit unions identify specific pain points and involve the staff feeling that pain in the solution design.
• Future Predictions: The episode wraps up with crystal ball predictions. Angi foresees stablecoins becoming the next dominant topic at conferences, while Holly predicts that upcoming changes to Visa and Mastercard interchange rules will fundamentally shift how institutions and retailers approach loyalty programs.

Join us for a conversation that bridges the gap between fintech innovators and the credit union mission.