BIGcast

Glen recaps an action-packed Government Affairs Conference, featuring our annual interview with America's Credit Unions' Economics Team on the coming year's outlook. An "existential threat" to the industry's income tax exemption headlined a packed agenda, but the CFPB, NCUA and interchange legislation were also on the menu- not to mention tariff whiplash and market uncertainty.

Links related to this episode:

America's Credit Unions' Monthly Economic Updates: https://www.americascreditunions.org/data-tools/economic-data-bank-comparisons/economic-update-video-archive

The Don't Tax My Credit Union Advocacy/Resource page: https://www.donttaxmycreditunion.org/

CrossState CUA's explanation of why credit unions offer better rates: https://www.crossstate.org/about/communications/blog/why-do-credit-unions-have-better-rates/

Glen's blog covering the GAC's key takeaways:

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday March 12 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. This session will focus on a discussion of key takeaways from the Governmental Affairs Conference. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Signing up for the Town Hall also earns you a card for our Bingo game tracking 2025 industry predictions. Find out more here: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=did-you-have-that-one-on-your-bingo-card

Join us on Bluesky! @bigfintech.bsky.social @154advisors.bsky.social (Glen) @jbfintech.bsky.social (John)

And connect on LinkedIn:

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

Glen quizzes John about his initiative leveraging social media app BlueSky's open source architecture to create a moderated, inclusive platform for credit union dialogue and experimentation. Also- threading the needle at the Governmental Affairs Conference.

Links related to this episode:

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/notifications

Our Bluesky accounts to follow: @bigfintech.bsky.social @154advisors.bsky.social (Glen) @jbfintech.bsky.social (John)

The AT Protocol used by BlueSky: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT_Protocol

Glen's blog on official 2024 volumes for RTP, FedNow and Same Day ACH: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=zelle-hits-a-trillion-same-day-ach-says-hold-my-beer

Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday March 12 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. This session will focus on the key takeaways from the Governmental Affairs Conference. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Signing up for the Town Hall also earns you a card for our Bingo game tracking 2025 industry predictions. Find out more here: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=did-you-have-that-one-on-your-bingo-card

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 DePaul University professor and financial innovation expert Lamont Black about his recent work on a blockchain-based secondary loan market to unlock credit union liquidity and reduce costs. Also- Chase tries to keep Zelle in the "friends and family," and 2024 payment stats beg the question "how fast is fast enough?" Links related to this episode: Wide Open Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wideopenventures/posts/ The Filene Research Institute's report on Loan NFT (Executive Summary): https://www.filene.org/reports/introducing-loannft-a-blockchain-solution-for-the-secondary-loan-market Lamont Black: https://lamontblack.com/ Glen's blog on official 2024 volumes for RTP, FedNow and Same Day ACH: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=zelle-hits-a-trillion-same-day-ach-says-hold-my-beer Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday February 26 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. This week we'll be "pre-gaming" for GAC- even if you won't be attending the largest annual credit union conference, we'll crowdsource the burning issues you're most interested in and serve as your onsite "eyes and ears" for these topics. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/ Signing up for the Town Hall also earns you a card for our Bingo game tracking 2025 industry predictions. Find out more here: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=did-you-have-that-one-on-your-bingo-card

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 shares a pair of interviews from last week's Deluxe Exchange conference- Scamnetic co-founder Al Pascual on a startup's mission to preempt fraud earlier in the pipeline, and Deidre Campbell on a few financial services silver linings amid troubling data from the annual Edelman Trust Barometer. Also- Bingo cards and the CFPB carousel. Links related to this episode: Edelman Trust Barometer: https://www.edelman.com/trust/2025/trust-barometer Our previous conversation about Edelman's Trust Barometer: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=retaining-member-trust-amid-the-decline-of-authority Scamnetic: https://scamnetic.com/ Scamnetic's Fall 2024 Finovate demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2024-scamnetic/ Scamnetic: YouTube overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y__BrHsi1Jc Deluxe: https://www.deluxe.com/ Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday February 26 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. Industry developments keep coming fast and furious- the CU Town Hall is the place to make sense of these items together. It's free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Signing up for the Town Hall also earns you a card for our Bingo game tracking 2025 industry predictions. Find out more here: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=did-you-have-that-one-on-your-bingo-card

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 NACUSO's Interim CEO- and serial CUSO founder- Miriam Ackerman about plans for the group's Reimagine conference this April in Las Vegas, including a juiced up Next Big Idea competition. Also- a quick summary of the busiest credit union news week in recent memory. Links related to this episode: NACUSO's Reimagine Conference, April 14-17 in Las Vegas: https://www.reimaginenacuso.com/ The Next Big Idea competition: https://www.reimaginenacuso.com/next-big-idea-competition Bernie Sanders' press release about the new Senate Bill capping credit card interest rates at 10 percent: https://www.sanders.senate.gov/press-releases/news-sanders-hawley-introduce-bill-capping-credit-card-interest-rates-at-10/ CU Today's reporting on the latest twist in Illinois interchange legislation: https://www.cutoday.info/THE-boost/Federal-Judge-Expands-Injunction-Against-Illinois-Interchange-Law-To-Out-Of-State-Banks-Denies-Credit-Unions-Request CU Times' reporting on USAID-related layoffs at the World Council of Credit Unions: https://www.cutimes.com/2025/02/07/woccu-let-go-over-half-of-its-employees-due-to-usaid-freeze/ Former FDIC Chair Sheila Bair's Washington Post op-ed calling for the elimination of credit unions' tax exemption: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/03/credit-unions-tax-subsidies-bair/ Glen's blog on 2025's credit union Bingo card: Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday February 12 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. Industry developments keep coming fast and furious- the CU Town Hall is the place to make sense of these items together. It's free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Find us on BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors

You can also 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 (mostly John) sort through the details of the still-evolving DeepSeek story. They assess how much of the freakout is warranted (is it "a Sputnik moment"?) and propose a scenario in which it may actually represent a *plus* for credit unions. Also- yet another twist in the Illinois interchange saga. Links related to this episode: Digital Transactions' coverage of a proposed bill to undo the Illinois interchange law: https://www.digitaltransactions.net/opponents-of-the-illinois-interchange-law-hedge-their-bets-with-legislation-to-repeal-it/ The NY Times Hard Fork podcast's DeepSeek dissection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk2aPfBJsKc The Economist's oddly prescient article on Chinese AI, published days before the DeepSeek disclosure: https://www.economist.com/briefing/2025/01/23/chinas-ai-industry-has-almost-caught-up-with-americas A dissenting view (unveiled after our recording) claims DeepSeek actually spent more and used more Nvidia chips than initially claimed: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/deepseek-might-not-be-as-disruptive-as-claimed-firm-reportedly-has-50-000-nvidia-gpus-and-spent-usd1-6-billion-on-buildouts Wired documents DeepSeek's security shortcomings: https://www.wired.com/story/deepseeks-ai-jailbreak-prompt-injection-attacks/ Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday February 12 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. Industry developments keep coming fast and furious- the CU Town Hall is the place to make sense of these items together. It's free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Find us on BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors

You can also 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 connect with noted security expert Roger Grimes to untangle the recent developments in quantum computing and discuss why Roger believes the big encryption-obliterating breakthrough will come sooner rather than later - if it hasn't already. Links related to this episode: Roger's recent LinkedIn post on why a 2035 Quantum prep date is "insane": https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-think-2035-post-quantum-preparation-date-insane-roger-grimes-yotee/ KnowBe4: https://www.knowbe4.com/ Roger's book "Cryptography Apocalypse": https://www.amazon.com/Cryptography-Apocalypse-Preparing-Quantum-Computing-ebook/dp/B07Z837R86/ Roger's latest release, "Fighting Phishing": https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-Phishing-Everything-Social-Engineering-ebook/dp/B0CSX1JC9B/ Join us for our next CU Town Hall - Wednesday January 29 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. Industry developments keep coming fast and furious- how many of us had China's DeepSeek AI bombshell on their Bingo card? The CU Town Hall is the place to make sense of these items together. It's free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Find us on BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors

You can also 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 BankSocial COO and former credit union CEO Becky Reed about what credit unions should expect from "the most crypto-friendly administration in US history," including regulatory clarity and a symbiotic relationship between crypto and AI. Plus- notes from the DC Crypto Ball, and a very busy Bingo card. Links related to this episode: BankSocial: https://www.banksocial.io/ BRaaSConsulting: https://www.braasconsulting.com/ Our "Bingo Card" predictions episode: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=2025-predictions-a-bingo-card-for-the-ages Reuters' report on crypto's pre-inaugural DC gala: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/with-cocktails-snoop-dogg-crypto-industry-celebrates-trump-inauguration-2025-01-18/ Circle's CEO's expectations for Executive Orders: https://www.reuters.com/technology/circle-ceo-expects-imminent-us-executive-orders-widen-crypto-2025-01-20/ The current stablecoin dashboard: https://coinmarketcap.com/view/stablecoin/ Comparing stablecoin volumes to Visa: https://en.cryptonomist.ch/2024/04/30/the-traded-volume-of-stablecoins-tether-usdt-usdc-and-dai-exceeds-the-monthly-average-of-visa-in-2023/ Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday January 29 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. The Bingo card of scenarios keeps getting more complicated- let's make sense of it together. It's free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/

Find us on BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors

You can also follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/

May you live in interesting times…. John and Glen join with Anne Legg and John Janclaes to speculate on the big events poised to frame the coming year. Our panel foresees the best of times and worst of times for AI, a flurry of mergers, breakthroughs in mortgage lending, and regulatory roulette. Oh, and our annual disagreement on Bitcoin and crypto. Links related to this episode: Thrive Strategic Services: https://www.anneleggthrive.com/ Nymbus CUSO: https://nymbus.com/cuso/ Our same panel's recap of 2024's biggest credit union/fintech stories: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=well-that-just-happened Glen's blog recap of 2024's top stories: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=recapping-2024s-biggest-credit-unionfintech-stories And our 2024 predictions from last January: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=chatting-and-generating-2024s-fintech-predictions-hopefully-intelligently Here's a safe 2025 prediction- You won't regret joining the Innovation Club, an ideal way to stretch your credit union's limited R&D dollars and stay on top of the latest technology trends. Find out if your CU qualifies: https://www.big-fintech.com/Innovation-Club/Technology Find us on BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors You can also 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 kicks off the 2025 BIGCast season with Bancography President Steve Reider and a deep dive into branch dynamics. We all know the number of branches is declining but a close look at the data reveals several intriguing subplots (psst… it's not the credit unions downsizing). Plus the return of BIGCast movie reviews! Links related to this episode: Bancography: https://bancography.com/ Bancography's Best of Show winning Finovate demo: https://finovate.com/videos/finovatefall-2024-bancography/ The Bancology research journal- see in particular articles in Volumes 79, 80, 84, 85: https://bancography.com/bancology/ Wallace & Gromit's AI takedown (sort of): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_%26_Gromit:_Vengeance_Most_Fowl The original Bank of Dave: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bank_of_dave Our Summer 2023 review of the original Bank of Dave: https://www.big-fintech.com/Media?p=loyal-but-open-to-persuasion Here's a great 2025 Resolution- Join the Innovation Club, an ideal way to stretch your credit union's limited R&D dollars and stay on top of the latest technology trends. Find out if your CU qualifies: https://www.big-fintech.com/Innovation-Club/Technology Find us on BlueSky at @bigfintech, @jbfintech and @154Advisors You can also follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/