“We know that trust is non-negotiable.” - Vinay Bhaskar

Thank you for tuning in to The CUInsight Network, with your host, Robbie Young, Vice President of Strategic Growth at CUInsight. In The CUInsight Network, we take a deeper dive with the thought leaders who support the credit union community. We discuss issues and challenges facing credit unions and identify best practices to learn and grow together.

My guests on today’s show are Patrick McElhenie, Chief Growth Officer and Vinay Bhaskar, Chief Operating Officer of Scienaptic AI. We discuss where lending is headed and why the next leap in AI could fundamentally change how credit unions operate.

In our conversation, Patrick and Vinay explain how Scienaptic helps credit unions approve more loans while reducing risk and improving members’ experiences. We learn how Scienaptic’s platform considers the full life cycle of the member so that decisions are not isolated. We then dig into the main topic of the episode: agentic AI, with Patrick breaking it down into simple terms for us. While traditional AI helps answer “Should we approve this loan?” agentic AI asks, “What should we do next?” Agentic AI can coordinate workflows across systems while keeping humans firmly in control.

As we wrap up the episode, Vinay also shares where credit unions will first feel the impact, especially within the first 60-90 days. He projects fewer false declines, more targeted engagement, and teams spending less time chasing data and more time working directly with members. We talk about explainability, audit trails, compliance guardrails, and what “governed autonomy” really looks like in practice. Finally, in closing, Patrick shares what he sees for Scienaptic’s future on the road ahead. Enjoy my conversation with Patrick McElhenie and Vinay Bhaskar!

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com.
Connect with Patrick:
Patrick McElhenie, Chief Growth Officer at Scienaptic AI
scienaptic.ai
Patrick: LinkedIn
Scienaptic AI: LinkedIn | YouTube

Connect with Vinay:
Vinay Bhaskar, Chief Operating Officer at Scienaptic AI
scienaptic.ai
Vinay: LinkedIn
Scienaptic AI: LinkedIn | YouTube

In this episode:
[1:11] - Patrick explains how Scienaptic enables fair, inclusive lending that boosts growth without increasing operational burden.
[4:14] - Vinay reveals that their platform delivers consistent, context-driven decisions across the entire member journey.
[6:52] - Hear how agentic AI moves lending from recommendation to coordinated, human-guided action.
[10:08] - Early gains include faster approvals, fewer false declines, and real-time portfolio action.
[13:17] - Vinay adds that built-in governance ensures explainability, auditability, and human oversight in every AI decision.
[15:56] - With governed autonomy, credit unions control automation while strengthening member relationships
[17:02] - Patrick discusses some of Scienaptic’s plans for the future.