The Hottest Credit Union Growth Trends in 2026

With membership growth slowing, especially for smaller credit unions, modernization is critical.

Automation and agentic AI are the keys to scaling operations, improving loan origination, and streamlining member onboarding.

Learn how leading credit unions are using AI to drive growth and stay competitive in our latest blog post.

This Week: Igniting Change in Credit Union ft. Julie Esser

How can credit unions adopt AI without losing sight of their member-first mission?

What happens when fintechs and credit unions align to deliver AI-driven solutions while respecting trust, governance, and regulatory constraints?

Julie Esser, founder of Ignite FI, shares how her team is helping credit unions bridge the gap with fintechs to drive innovation, ensuring that technology serves the unique needs of their members.

We covered:

• Why credit unions must define problems before diving into AI adoption

• How fintechs can align with credit union values for long-term success

• The power of CUSOs in helping smaller credit unions scale with fintech

• Why organizing and cleaning data is the key to successful AI integration

• Julie’s belief that AI must solve real, member-driven problems, not just be a shiny tool

Upcoming Webinar: AI Agents & Lending: Unlock Your Competitive Edge

🗓️ Wednesday, February 18, 2025 at 4:00pm ET

With interest rates dropping, 2026 will be a busy year for lenders.

Join Ankur Patel along with guest speakers Erin Schmidt (VP of Mortgage Operations, FORUM CU), Melissa Pederson (Chief Lending Officer, Wescom Financial), and Thomas Shaw (CTO/CMO, OCMBC) for a live session on how to implement agentic AI quickly, accelerating underwriting, document review, and decisioning to avoid losing deals.

Seats are limited.