Thinkwise Federal Credit Union in San Bernardino, Calif., became the first Minority Depository Institution credit union to offer Zelle through a newly launched joint program expanding access to the widely used person-to-person payment service. MDIs, designated based on their membership and leadership, primarily serve minority communities and are focused on widening access to financial services for those communities.
The program was developed in partnership with Zelle and the payments CUSO Velera.
"Launching Zelle through Velera is an important step in our ongoing digital transformation," Heri Garcia, president/CEO of Thinkwise, said. "This partnership allows us to offer members a fast, reliable way to send and receive money while continuing to deliver the trusted, personalized service that has defined Thinkwise for more than seven decades."
Thinkwise selected Velera for its experience integrating Zelle, building on an existing relationship through the Co-op Shared Branch network.
"Credit unions have long led with trust and community values, and access to modern, reliable payment tools is an important part of serving members today," Amy Evans, SVP, strategic solutions at Velera, said. "We're honored to support Thinkwise through our partnership with Zelle, marking an important milestone in expanding modern P2P payment options for MDI credit unions and the communities they serve."
P2P payments continue to grow in use, with 74% of consumers using them at least periodically, according to Velera's 2025 "Eye on Payments" study. Zelle is now offered by more than 2,300 financial institutions nationwide and handles more than $1 trillion in annual transactions.
Founded in 1952 as San Bernardino School Employees Federal Credit Union, Thinkwise serves more than 6,000 members and has approximately $119 million in assets.
Joyce Moed can be reached at joyce.moed@arc-network.com.
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