Every year, CU Times asks experts from fintech companies that serve credit unions to look back on the biggest technological advances that impacted the credit union industry over the previous 12 months, and to discuss the innovations they believe will take center stage for credit unions in the world of fintech in the coming year.

In part two of this two-part series, you’ll hear from six more executives from Equifax, MDT, Union Credit, SWIVEL, Jack Henry and Adeptia. Read part one here.

What in your opinion were the biggest advancements in credit union technology in 2025?

Alison Heller

Alison Heller, Sales Director, Consumer Finance at Equifax: Fifty percent of digital banking users are open to switching institutions for an improved digital experience, and over half would consider switching banks for a more seamless lending experience, according to a study from Alkami and The Center for Generational Kinetics. For credit unions, this means walking a tightrope: They need to keep traditional members happy with personalized service while also attracting younger people who expect things to be fast and convenient. It’s a tough balance to strike as member needs keep changing.

Credit unions have been successful in adopting technology to provide members with fast, frictionless digital experiences in 2025. Lengthy approval times and tedious paperwork are often a recipe for deterring existing members and prospects. By focusing on providing simplified application processes and fast approval times, credit unions foster loyalty and encourage continued business. Alongside a streamlined loan process, credit unions are also turning to technology solutions that automate decisioning and provide members with real-time updates on their loan status.

Pete Major, Vice President, Fintech & Digital Solutions, Member Driven Technologies (MDT): One of the biggest advancements this year was the shift from experimenting with AI to putting it to work in real, operational workflows. We saw more credit unions move from small pilots to practical applications that enable staff to work more efficiently and help members get answers faster. Another major advancement was the growth of stronger, more open integrations between credit unions and their fintech partners. This allowed institutions to adopt new tools without creating more complexity, which is critical for organizations that already manage long project lists. Finally, advancements in cloud-based infrastructure gave credit unions greater reliability and scalability, which supports both innovation and cost control.

Barry Kirby

Barry Kirby, CRO and Co-founder, Union Credit: 2025 was the year credit unions finally started breaking out of the ‘come find us’ mindset. According to our survey we conducted during the government shutdown, confidence is dipping. Only 12% of consumers felt very financially secure. People weren’t browsing lender websites, they were making decisions inside the apps they already use daily. The advancements this year weren’t flashy tech. They were embedded delivery, cleaner eligibility signals and faster, more informed credit assessments. Credit unions began putting transparent credit opportunities in front of members instead of hiding them behind long digital mazes. The shift was simple but meaningful. Meet consumers at the moment of intent, not minutes or days later.

Amanda Licona-Crocker, President, SWIVEL, an SWBC Company: 2025 was all about speed, connectivity and personalization. Credit unions really leaned into API-driven integrations and real-time data sharing, which made member experiences smoother and more secure. We also saw AI take center stage, helping credit unions deliver personalized financial advice, spot fraud faster and predict member needs. On top of that, cloud-native solutions gained traction, cutting costs and making innovation easier. At SWIVEL, we were right in the middle of this transformation – our integration technology helped credit unions connect their core systems with fintech partners seamlessly.

Brynn Ammon

Brynn Ammon, President of Credit Union Solutions, Jack Henry: For me, 2025 was a true “full circle” moment for one of the most familiar financial technologies – the debit card. This year, debit rails matured into the bridge between traditional accounts and digital money. That evolution wasn’t driven by hype; it reflected real behavioral shifts. Younger, financially aware consumers aren’t merely avoiding debt – they’re actively optimizing for direct access to their funds, with speed, transparency and control. If that’s the reality, then tapping a proven, trusted delivery mechanism to reach a new class of value – stablecoins –makes perfect sense.

What’s compelling is the blend of familiarity and innovation: The card form factor and merchant acceptance members know, paired with programmable, always‑on settlement behind the scenes. In practice, that means everyday experiences that feel no different at the point of sale. For credit unions, this is not about “going crypto” – it’s about modernizing the plumbing in ways that expands optionality for members.

What will be credit unions' biggest priorities heading into 2026 in the areas of fintech partnerships, AI and/or other areas of business related to technology?

Heller: In terms of consumer lending, it’s important for credit unions to meet borrower expectations by providing a simplified lending experience. Whether it’s auto loans, personal loans or student loans, members demand a lending experience that is fast and accurate.

Credit unions will want to partner with organizations that reduce manual tasks and enable access to data that supports loan decisioning without interrupting their current processes. The focus shouldn’t be on adding new platforms but removing areas of friction that slow down the loan process. Credit unions should also look beyond origination and implement solutions that improve every stage of the loan cycle. Taking this approach helps maintain a stronger portfolio and deliver a better member experience. Heading into 2026, the biggest differentiator will be the ability to extend efficiency across the entire loan process as opposed to relying on slow, outdated systems.

Pete Major

Major: Heading into 2026, I expect credit unions to focus on building tighter, more strategic relationships with fintech partners. They want innovation, but they also want partners who understand their service-driven culture and can help them execute without contributing to project fatigue. AI adoption will continue to be a priority, but the focus will be on solving specific pain points rather than broad, open-ended experimentation. Credit unions will also prioritize data readiness so that any AI solution they deploy can produce accurate and meaningful outcomes. Beyond that, many institutions will concentrate on reducing system complexity, improving digital member experiences and strengthening cybersecurity. All of these priorities point toward a more modern, efficient and connected technology environment.

Kirby: The priority for 2026 is visibility paired with simplicity. Borrowing intent didn’t disappear. Our survey found that 36% of consumers said they’d act if the offer felt secure and clear. That tells us exactly where credit unions need to focus – show up in trusted digital ecosystems, reduce guesswork, and use AI to shorten decisioning and personalize offers without crossing privacy lines. Fintech partnerships will matter less for novelty and more for distribution. Cut friction and confidence will follow.

Amanda Licona-Crocker

Licona-Crocker: Looking ahead, credit unions are going to double down on fintech partnerships to keep expanding digital services without losing the trust they’ve built. Secure, API-based integrations will be key to making that happen. We expect AI-driven automation to play a big role too – think smarter back-office processes, conversational banking and better risk modeling. Cybersecurity will remain front and center as open APIs and embedded finance become the norm. And don’t forget real-time payments and data interoperability – those will be game-changers. SWIVEL is ready to help credit unions stay connected, secure and competitive in this digital-first world.

Ammon: Efficiency stays at the top – but the definition evolves. It’s no longer just cost out; it’s simplification plus speed plus personalization delivered through platform thinking. Here’s where I see credit unions leaning in:

1. Platform architectures that unify the view of the member. The priority is not another integration – it’s a composable platform that abstracts away disparate systems and presents one cohesive, role aware, member centric view. That means treating data as a first class product: Governed, consented and ready for secure sharing across experiences. When the platform handles identity, events and permissions, teams stop fighting silos and start orchestrating journeys.

2. AI that is agentic, governed and human augmenting. AI will increasingly automate the ‘gray space’ between systems – routing work, generating summaries, detecting anomalies and prompting next best actions. Success will depend on AI ready governance (policies, auditability, bias testing), clean data pipelines and a relentless focus on augmenting staff rather than replacing them. Think: Faster ‘time to yes’ in lending, proactive fraud interdiction, and frontline assistants that shorten queues and personalize service.
3. Operational resilience and regulatory readiness by design. With open banking and AI policies in flux, credit unions will invest in policy driven data sharing, third party risk frameworks and observability across the platform. The winner’s posture is: Move fast, but with guardrails – documented controls, clear member consent and audit trails that withstand scrutiny.

In 2026, the standout credit unions will simplify their technology footprint while expanding their capability set.

Deepak Singh, Chief Innovation Officer, Adeptia: Financial institutions will increasingly adopt hybrid data fabric architectures as the new foundation for integration and automation. Rather than pushing all data into the cloud, an approach often at odds with regulatory, sovereignty and security requirements, these platforms create a virtualized, intelligent layer that unifies on-prem and cloud data without physically relocating it. This shift will enable financial institutions to automate complex data flows, apply AI-driven intelligence and accelerate digital transformation while maintaining tight governance over their most sensitive information.

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