October 17, 2025

Partnership Over Vendorship - Alacriti & Zelle

10 minutes

“Work with a partner instead of just a vendor. Your success is our success. We feel very strongly about that.” - Mark Majeske

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 Mark Majeske, SVP Faster Payments at Alacriti, and Matt Kinne, Senior Director of Market Solutions at Zelle. Mark and Matt discuss the partnership between Alacriti and Zelle and how the alliance benefits credit unions in offering peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services to their members. They explain that Zelle has become a household name and an expected service for consumers, with nearly 80% even saying instant payments are the most important feature their financial institution can offer.

In our conversation, we highlight how Zelle helps credit unions address the challenges they face in P2P payments, challenges such as members using external apps such as Venmo. Their directory-based approach allows credit unions to bring that business back into their ecosystem. Offering Zelle as an option also helps credit unions strengthen their position as a trusted partner compared to fintech apps by taking advantage of their existing brand, security, and personal service.

As we wrap up the episode, Mark, Matt, and I discuss the growing use of Zelle by small businesses, which now make up 15% of Zelle's total transactions, presenting an opportunity for credit unions to deepen relationships with local businesses. Our discussion also outlines the benefits of using Zelle via Alacriti as opposed to going direct, including Alacriti's role as a true partner, managing integration complexity, and providing a faster time to market! Enjoy my conversation with Mark Majeske and Matt Kinne!

Find the full show notes on cuinsight.com.