BIGcast

Glen meets with Edelman Smithfield Managing Director Deidre Campbell to break down the annual Edelman Trust Barometer, the public's "retreat into insularity," and the resulting action items for banks and credit unions. Also- Illinois turns its focus to BNPL while JD Power highlights an FI opportunity, X Money broadens its reach, and the murky NCUA waters begin to clear.

Links related to this episode:

• Edelman Smithfield's Financial Services Trust Barometer: https://www.edelmansmithfield.com/2026-Edelman-Trust-Barometer-Key-Insights-for-Financial-Services
• Edelman's 2026 Global Trust Barometer: https://www.edelman.com/trust/2026/trust-barometer
• Illinois' newly signed BNPL law: https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/illinois-enacts-bnpl-law-pritzker-consumer-crypto/823835/
• JD Power's Buy Now Pay Later customer satisfaction study (good news for FIs): https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2026-us-buy-now-pay-later-satisfaction-study
• PYMNTS.com on X Money's latest move toward general availability: https://www.pymnts.com/commerce/social-commerce/2026/x-opens-x-money-to-premium-subscribers-ahead-of-broader-launch

Mark your calendar to join the next CU Town Hall- Wednesday July 15 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- our live and lively interactive monthly conversation where credit union leaders tackle the biggest issues facing the sector 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/

Laura Gibson-Lamothe, the Georgia Fintech Academy's Executive Director, provides firsthand coverage of the key takeaways from Money 20/20 Europe. Laura and Glen also discuss broader trends in talent development/demand and regional differences in banking (and smoking! ) regulation. Plus- process reflections spurred by the passing of longtime Fed Chair Alan Greenspan, and the Bank of England sets a new stablecoin standard.

Links related to this episode:

• The Georgia Fintech Academy: https://georgiafintechacademy.org/
• Laura's recent post pondering A Tale of Two Georgias: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tale-two-georgias-stablecoins-financial-future-laura-gibson-lamothe-0t7bc/
• One of Laura's Money 20/20 interviews onsite in Amsterdam, with The Fintech Accord's West Richards on Stablecoins, AI & Global Fintech Policy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYNAZKFEcy0
• Fintech Futures' coverage of the Bank of England's new stablecoin policy: https://www.fintechfutures.com/regulatory-actions/bank-of-england-stablecoins-policy-draft-regulation-uk
• Glen's blog on a VERY eventful month for interchange: https://www.big-fintech.com/a-remarkable-month-for-interchange-but-what-has-really-changed/

Mark your calendar to join the next CU Town Hall- Wednesday July 15 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- our monthly live and lively interactive conversation where credit union leaders tackle the major issues facing the sector 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/

Our second batch of interviews stemming from the Financial Health Network's EMERGE conference, both with founders of compelling fintech startups: ROX CEO Lara Hodgson (breaking down barriers to SMB credit/liquidity) and Poncho CEO John Brown (financial wellness for military families). Also- the sudden twist in Fiserv's turnaround story.

Links related to this episode:

• ROX: https://www.roxwrite.com/
• Poncho: https://www.poncho.us/
• Poncho CEO John Brown on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnprestonbrown/
• The Financial Health Network: https://finhealthnetwork.org/
• Glen's blog on a VERY eventful month in interchange: https://www.big-fintech.com/a-remarkable-month-for-interchange-but-what-has-really-changed/
• A replay of Glen's favorite EMERGE session, featuring Alex Johnson posing "lightning round" questions to a panel including former OCC head Michael Hsu: https://finhealthnetwork.org/event-session/hard-questions-for-the-future-of-finance
• Sister publications Banking Dive and Payments Dive publish differing perspectives on Fiserv CEO Mike Lyon's surprise departure: https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/fiserv-ceo-exits-after-rocky-year/822882/ https://www.bankingdive.com/news/truist-ceo-lyons-rogers-fiserv/822878/

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 shares highlights from the Financial Health Network's EMERGE conference, including interviews with a pair of trailblazing co-founders: Debbie Rewards' Frida Leibowitz and Prosprous.ai's Ted Leung. Also- Illinois kicks the interchange can down the road (again), Pope Leo pleads for humanity in AI, and a campaign to repurpose dopamine hits for financial wellness. Links related to this episode:

• Debbie: https://www.joindebbie.com/
• Prosprous.AI: https://prosprous.ai/
• The Financial Health Network: https://finhealthnetwork.org/
• Our interview with the Financial Health Network's Andrew Warren on a reconsideration of the definitions of un- and underbanked: https://www.big-fintech.com/is-the-underbanked-concept-ripe-for-a-rethink/
• Our interview with co-founder Eric Berg of Duome, the belatedly crowned winner of NACUSO's Next Big Idea Competition: https://www.big-fintech.com/two-conferences-two-coasts-one-exhausted-fintech-geek/
• Illinois has now double-punted on its interchange legislation and Colorado's governor vetoed its similar version; nonetheless, here's a savvy take on the underlying flaws that other states should consider before mimicking: https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/colorados-new-bill-on-interchange-is-a-test-case-for-unintended-consequences/
• Here's Colorado Governor Jared Polis' three-page letter explaining why he vetoed the bill: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s7NlfmaHRIArKyKg1ShBplEIgarJiXIV/view

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 and John dissect a recent online airing of grievances regarding AI's perceived shortcomings. To Glen's surprise, John finds validity to some of these criticisms. Also- the Pope weighs in, robots close the human gap, the term "neuro-symbolic AI" emerges, and the green shoots of a "slow tech" movement may be emerging. Links related to this episode:

• The Reddit thread- from the AGI community- that prompted this discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/agi/comments/1t73hw7/i_was_once_an_ai_true_believer_now_i_think_the/
• YouTube video on translating Claude's AI thoughts into language: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQgMCXPJRHXjjZvVNCqcswtpNNr?projector=1
• JB dissects ChatGPT's new personal finance features on our recent CU Town Hall: https://www.big-fintech.com/cu-town-hall-episode-147-the-chatgpt-finance-era/
• Last week's interview with Jack Henry's Lee Wetherington, including data on AI as a bank/credit union strategic priority: https://www.big-fintech.com/what-keeps-you-up-at-night-may-depend-on-your-charter/
• The assembly line video of a package sorting robot (which *may* outperform a human, depending on your yardstick): https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=luU57hMhkak&ra=m
• The Associated Press on Pope Leo's AI encyclical: https://apnews.com/article/pope-ai-tech-trump-vatican-anthropic-d92d0108730d146baa46da041b8523da
• A precursor to "slow tech"? The AP's obit for Slow Food Movement founder Carlo Petrini https://apnews.com/article/slow-food-petrini-founder-italy-85cde4ee84168207a3354281202720b1

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 chats with Lee Wetherington about Jack Henry's newly minted survey of nearly 200 credit union and bank CEOs, exploring how strategic priorities and top concerns differ by group and how they've shifted over time. Also, a treasure trove of new industry data- on consumer payment choice, household economics, crypto/stablecoin usage, and a breezy 269-page NCUA stroke of GENIUS for your holiday reading pleasure. Links related to this episode:

• Jack Henry's 2026 Strategy Benchmark Study: https://discover.jackhenry.com/strategy-benchmark-study-2026
• FRB Services' Diary of Consumer Payment Choice: https://www.frbservices.org/news/research/2026-findings-diary-consumer-payment-choice
• The Kansas City Fed's paper on stablecoin use: https://www.kansascityfed.org/documents/15703/PaymentsSystemResearchBriefing26Noll0410.pdf
• The Federal Reserve Board's 2025 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED): https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/files/2025-report-economic-well-being-us-households-202605.pdf
• CU Today on the NCUA's proposed approach to implementing the GENIUS Act: https://www.cutoday.info/THE-feature/NCUA-s-New-Stablecoin-Framework-Sparks-Debate-Over-CUs-Best-Digital-Dollar-Strategy

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. In this session, John will dissect OpenAI's new personal finance offering. 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/

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

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 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: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/

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