Earlier this summer, Raddon and Fiserv brought credit union executives and industry thought leaders together in Palm Springs for the 2026 Credit Union Leadership Summit, a reimagined version of the former Raddon CEO Forum. The Summit gave attendees an opportunity to hear new perspectives, exchange ideas with peers and explore practical responses to the economic uncertainty, technology disruption, evolving member expectations and intensifying competition facing credit unions.

Across general sessions, panel discussions and informal peer conversations, the Summit focused on a central question: How can credit unions continue to grow, remain relevant and deepen member relationships in a rapidly changing environment? The agenda combined economic perspective, regulatory insight, payments strategy, data-driven growth, generational research, artificial intelligence (AI), member experience and the realities of merger activity.

Leadership in an age of distraction

Dudley White, credit union segment leader at Fiserv, welcomed attendees and set the stage for the Summit. Becky Summers, who leads Thought Leadership and Strategic Guidance for Raddon, served as emcee and brought keynote speaker Erik Qualman to the stage. A bestselling author and internationally recognized digital leadership expert, Qualman focused his remarks on ideas from his latest book, The Focus Project, a guide to pursuing less to achieve more. With his rapid-fire observations, Qualman challenged leaders to identify their “superpower.”

Key takeaway: Qualman suggested that AI is more usefully understood as “amplified intelligence” than artificial intelligence. Use technology to extend human capability while remaining focused, authentic and closely connected to people.

The credit union of 2035

Bill Handel, general manager and chief economist for Raddon, followed the keynote with a forward-looking examination of the credit union of 2035 and what it will take to thrive over the next decade. Handel cautioned that leaders routinely overestimate the significance of short-term change while underestimating long-term disruption. He examined the economic, demographic, competitive and technological forces likely to reshape the industry, including slower population growth, changing household economics, AI-enabled service, new definitions of primary institution, and an increasing premium on scale and productivity.

Handel’s message was that the credit union must evolve. The largest banks continue to expand their reach, fintechs are capturing specific financial moments and margin income is less dependable as a long-term engine. Sustainable growth, he said, will require credit unions to reduce household attrition, deepen wallet share, improve demographic reach and use data to identify member needs at the right moment. Several sessions reinforced his broader forecast: High-tech and high-touch will become a combined expectation, human capability and AI will increasingly define service delivery, and personalization will move toward a “segment of one.”

Key takeaway: Economic pressure should become a catalyst for sharper strategy. Future-ready credit unions will use technology to strengthen—not replace—the personal trust that has long differentiated the cooperative model.

Regulatory and policy outlook

Kim Ford, senior vice president of Strategic Accounts and Partnerships for the Fiserv Credit Union segment, led a discussion on navigating regulatory mandates and the expanding digital frontier. Drawing on her extensive experience in her prior role as head of Government Relations at Fiserv, she provided a view of the policy and regulatory shifts affecting credit unions, including developments tied to consumer protection, digital assets, AI, fraud, cybersecurity, payments and open banking. Ford said that formal rulemaking is only part of the picture. Leaders also need to watch for the wider policy signals that shape supervisory expectations and affect the pace at which institutions can innovate.

Ford connected regulatory readiness to strategic agility. As faster payments, digital channels and AI-enabled tools create new opportunities, she said, credit unions must understand where compliance, technology and member experience intersect—and ensure that governance supports responsible progress.

Key takeaway: Regulatory awareness should be embedded in strategic planning, especially as innovation accelerates across payments, data, fraud mitigation and digital engagement.

Accelerating growth through tech-forward mergers

Darren Smith, head of Smith Consulting Group and Financial Solutions Consulting at Fiserv, and Bill Handel led a candid examination of merger realities—from assessing readiness and making the build-or-buy decision through execution and sustainable growth. The discussion featured Mark Mullins, chief information officer at Truliant Federal Credit Union; Matthew Shepherd, chief operations officer at Delta Community Credit Union; and Joe Ward, chief strategy officer at Hoosier Hills Credit Union.

The panel centered on the decisions that determine whether a merger delivers its intended value. Panelists discussed cultural alignment, operational integration, technology readiness, employee communication and the need to preserve member value throughout the transition. The discussion reinforced that scale may create new capabilities, but scale alone is not a strategy.

Key takeaway: Successful combinations begin with a clear strategic rationale, cultural fit and a member-centered definition of success.

Reaching the next generation of members

I joined Becky Summers and Christie Kimbell, executive vice president at Filene Research Institute, for a discussion on unlocking membership growth among the next generation. Becky and I shared Raddon research on demographic change, the declining share of consumers identifying a credit union as their primary institution, and the ways Gen Z is redefining financial primacy around mobile experience, payments, trust and immediate utility.

Kimbell then introduced Filene’s Finfluencer Campaign Playbook, which every attendee received. Using examples of campaigns conducted by credit unions, she showed how trusted creators can build awareness, engagement and credibility with younger audiences when partnerships are authentic, localized, integrated with broader marketing and supported by clear tracking. The combined discussion emphasized that younger consumers are not simply seeking better technology; they are looking for relevance, transparency, useful guidance and voices they trust.

Key takeaway: Younger-member growth requires a coordinated strategy across brand, mobile experience, financial education, payments, social engagement and household relationships. Credit unions still hold an advantage in trust, but they must translate it into modern, frictionless experiences.

Figure: Credit Union share of PFI 

Credit Union PFI share has declined

Source: “Deposit, Loans and Delivery baselines,” Raddon Research Insights, 2026

Ask anything on AI: what’s real, what’s useful, what’s next

I moderated a wide-ranging conversation with Dudley White; Jaime Manriquez, vice president of AI, API and Data Layer at Fiserv; and J. Paul Leavell, Ph.D., strategic advisor at Raddon. We discussed where AI is already proving useful and where expectations may be running ahead of reality. We also explored practical applications credit unions can pursue today, the guardrails needed to use AI responsibly and the ways it could reshape the member relationship.

The panelists encouraged institutions to begin with real workflow problems rather than AI for AI’s sake. Near-term opportunities include employee knowledge support, member service, fraud detection, workflow efficiency and decision support. Governance should clarify accountability, data use, model risk, auditability and where human oversight is non-negotiable. Just as important, leaders must address culture: AI adoption changes expectations, training and the nature of work, making it a leadership and change-management issue as much as a technology initiative.

The most provocative part of the conversation looked outward. Members may increasingly ask an AI tool to build a budget, compare loans, plan debt repayment or move savings before they ever visit a branch, website or app. That raises the possibility that the traditional primary financial institution could evolve toward a primary AI relationship. Credit unions’ opportunity is to remain the trusted source of advice and action behind that interface.

Key takeaway: AI is no longer only a technology conversation. It is an operating-model, workforce, governance and member-relationship conversation. Start small, define guardrails, train employees and measure a real outcome.

Source: Live Polling, Credit Union Leadership Summit, June 2026

Fraud in a faster world

Charlotte Ritonya, vice president of Risk and Fraud at Fiserv, led a session on the new risk reality created by faster payments, expanding digital channels and increasingly sophisticated scams. She challenged attendees to rethink the definition of a successful fraud response: The right question is not only how much fraud was stopped, but how the member felt when it happened.

Ritonya described fraud moments as potential trust moments. She said that many scams are never reported because consumers doubt that reporting will help, do not know how to report or feel embarrassed. Vulnerability also differs by generation: Older consumers may be more inclined to trust authority, while Gen Z is often drawn to perceived authenticity. Fraudsters understand these tendencies and tailor their tactics accordingly.

Ritonya was joined by Lauren Duffy, president and CEO of UMassFive College Federal Credit Union, who brought the practitioner perspective. Duffy emphasized strategic acceptance of fraud cost: Losses will not be zero, and forcing them toward zero can create damaging member friction. The objective is to price and manage risk deliberately while protecting reliability, confidence and the overall relationship.

Key takeaway: Fraud strategy should be measured not only by dollars prevented, but by trust preserved and friction avoided.

Celebrating high performance

A longstanding highlight of the event is the Crystal Performance Awards, presented by Raddon to recognize credit unions that demonstrate exceptional financial performance. The 2026 ceremony celebrated institutions that have translated strategic focus, effective execution and sustained member engagement into measurable results.

The awards provide an important counterpoint to the Summit’s forward-looking discussions. They show that performance is not the product of one operating model or demographic advantage; high-performing credit unions consistently build strong balances, capture payment relationships and deliver member experiences that deepen engagement. Recognizing the winners also gives executives an opportunity to celebrate peers who continue to raise the standard for the industry.

Looking ahead

The Summit gave attendees time to step back from day-to-day demands and compare perspectives on the issues shaping the industry. Through a mix of research and practitioner experience that sparked candid discussion, the sessions offered practical ideas for navigating growth, technology, risk and changing member expectations.

Between sessions, dinners and breaks, attendees had time to connect in the relaxed setting of the Palm Springs desert. Those conversations deepened existing relationships, sparked new ones and gave leaders the chance to compare experiences more openly than a formal session often allows.

Credit unions remain uniquely positioned to combine trust, community connection, financial guidance and modern technology. Realizing that combination will require leaders who can connect insight to action and who are willing to learn from peers confronting similar choices in different markets. That is the enduring purpose of the Credit Union Leadership Summit and a compelling reason for credit union executives to join the conversation at future events.