BIGcast

In this week’s episode of the BIGcast, host John Best sits down with Emma Zaballos, cybersecurity expert and Product Marketing Manager at CyCognito, to unpack one of the biggest surprises in generative AI: the emergence of China's DeepSeek. Emma and John dive deep (pun intended) into the implications of DeepSeek’s rise, the broader cybersecurity concerns around AI, and what it all means for credit unions and financial institutions navigating the AI landscape.   Links related to this episode:   CyCognito: https://www.cycognito.com/   Wiz Research Uncovers Exposed DeepSeek Database Leaking: https://www.wiz.io/blog/wiz-research-uncovers-exposed-deepseek-database-leak Security Scorecard’s blog A Deep Peek at DeepSeek: https://securityscorecard.com/blog/a-deep-peek-at-deepseek/   Join us for the next CU Town Hall meeting on Wednesday 7th, at 12pm PT/3pm ET for your regular dose of lively interactive discussion and best practice sharing on the hottest topics impacting credit unions nationwide. We look forward to seeing you! The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/  Join us on Bluesky!  @bigfintech.bsky.social;  @154advisors.bsky.social (Glen); @jbfintech.bsky.social (John) And connect on LinkedIn for insights like the Friday Fintech Five: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/

Glen speaks with Nacha’s Stephanie Prebish and Devon Marsh about the upcoming Smarter Faster Payments conference in New Orleans, as well as Same Day ACH’s remarkable sustained growth and the rising tide that lifts all riverboats. Also- First reflections on Americas Credit Unions’ leadership change, and… No Tariff Talk!    Links related to this episode:   Smarter, Faster Payments in New Orleans April 27-30: https://payments.nacha.org/   Year-End 2024 ACH growth stats: https://www.nacha.org/news/same-day-ach-passes-major-milestone-2024-ach-network-shows-higher-growth   The CU Daily’s coverage of Americas Credit Unions’ CEO Jim Nussle’s plan to retire: https://thecudaily.com/americas-credit-unions-ceo-jim-nussle-announces-plans-to-retire/    Glen’s blog on the recent Executive Order phasing out paper checks to/from the federal government: https://www.big-fintech.com/executive-order-to-eliminate-checks-isnt-worth-the-paper-its-printed-on/     Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday April 9 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 FDIC’s recent move to relax restrictions on banks’ crypto activities. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required:  https://www.cutownhall.com/  Join us on Bluesky!  @bigfintech.bsky.social;  @154advisors.bsky.social (Glen); @jbfintech.bsky.social (John) And connect on LinkedIn for insights like the Friday Fintech Five: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/

Glen speaks with Frank Diekmann, Founder and Publisher of the newly minted The CU Daily, about his latest venture and the need for “hard news” reporting in the credit union space. Also- a ray of light for CDFIs, grandstanding against paper checks, and splitting hairs on CBDCs.   Links related to this episode:   The CU Daily: https://thecudaily.com/   The CU Daily’s article on Treasury’s CDFI response: https://thecudaily.com/facing-budget-axe-from-wh-exec-order-treasury-says-cdfi-programs-should-remain/   Last week’s discussion with Jason Stverak on tax status and CDFIs: https://www.big-fintech.com/defending-and-debunking-credit-unions-tax-status/   Trump’s Executive Order supposedly eliminating paper checks from/to the Federal Government:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/modernizing-payments-to-and-from-americas-bank-account/   Reuters on World Liberty Financials proposed USD1 Stablecoin: https://www.reuters.com/technology/trumps-world-liberty-financial-crypto-venture-says-it-will-launch-stablecoin-2025-03-25/   Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday April 9 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required:  https://www.cutownhall.com/  Join us on Bluesky!  @bigfintech.bsky.social;  @154advisors.bsky.social (Glen); @jbfintech.bsky.social (John) And connect on LinkedIn for insights like the Friday Fintech Five: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/

Glen connects with the Defense Credit Union Council’s Jason Stverak to discuss the dual threats- not-for-profit tax treatment and CDFI designation- facing the industry, and the bizarre misrepresentations surrounding each. Also- Klarna’s IPO parade, and an acclaimed entry in the Credit Union Film Festival.      Links related to this episode:   The Defense Credit Union Council: https://www.dcuc.org/   Jason’s CU Insight article on the tax issue: https://www.cuinsight.com/banks-tax-hypocrisy-will-hurt-main-street-not-credit-unions/   CU Strategic Planning President Stacey Augustine’s article on CDFIs: https://thecudaily.com/cdfis-the-impact-is-obvious/   Don’t Tax My Credit Union website: https://www.donttaxmycreditunion.org/#take-action   This month’s GAC interview with Americas Credit Unions’ Economic Team: https://www.big-fintech.com/a-taxing-week-in-washington/   “The Barber of Little Rock”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1amOPUn49aM   Fintech Business Weekly’s coverage of Klarna’s IPO filing: https://fintechbusinessweekly.substack.com/p/klarna-files-ipo-paperwork-puts-pr    Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday March 26 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. This session will feature cyber defense evangelist Roger Grimes on quantum computing and his latest book about combating social engineering/phishing. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required:  https://www.cutownhall.com/  Join us on Bluesky!   @bigfintech.bsky.social  @154advisors.bsky.social (Glen)  @jbfintech.bsky.social (John) And connect on LinkedIn for insights like the Friday Fintech Five: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/

Our second wave of interviews from the recent Governmental Affairs Conference features Glen’s interviews with company founders Paul Fiore (CU WealthNext) and Kian Sarrashteh (InvestiFi), plus Candescent’s new Chief Product Officer Gareth Gaston on digital banking lessons to be gleaned from fields like travel.   Links related to this episode:   Candescent: https://www.candescent.com/   CU WealthNext: https://cuwealthnext.com/   InvestiFi: https://investifi.co/   Last week’s GAC interview with Americas Credit Unions’ Economic Team: https://www.big-fintech.com/a-taxing-week-in-washington/   Glen’s latest blog on The Existential Threat: Glen’s CUBroadcast interview with Mike Lawson about industry predictions and Bingo cards: https://www.cubroadcast.com/episodes/gac25-154-advisors-glen-sarvady-talk-regs-tech-and-bingo-cards   Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday March 26 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. The site also features replays of past meetings- most recently discussing the urgent matter of CU tax status. he Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required:  https://www.cutownhall.com/    Join us on Bluesky!  @bigfintech.bsky.social;  @154advisors.bsky.social (Glen); @jbfintech.bsky.social (John) And connect on LinkedIn for insights like the Friday Fintech Five: https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-innovation-group/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbfintech/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/glensarvady/

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 interviews John about leveraging BlueSky's open-source framework for engaging credit union discussions. They explore BlueSky’s potential as a safe, decentralized alternative for social media, especially during crises. The conversation dives into innovative strategies for networking and facilitating member engagement. Plus, a humorous take on their social media journeys and excitement for an upcoming conference in Washington, D.C. Also, there's a tasty detour to a South African eatery known for its Peri Peri spice!

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/

Discover the buzz around the upcoming Reimagine conference in Las Vegas, where innovation takes center stage. Join the conversation about recent significant credit union news, including a Senate bill capping credit card interest rates. Learn about the Next Big Idea competition designed to spark creativity. Engage with industry leaders through a unique bingo card initiative and explore challenges like regulatory changes and funding cuts affecting credit unions. It's an exciting time for collaboration and advocacy in the financial sector!