PALM DESERT, Calif.–The need for “operational efficiency and generational relevance” dominated the main stage at the REACH 2025 Fintech Solutions Showcase, according to the California, Nevada and Utah leagues, which host the event.
During the Showcase, six people presented “actionable strategies for credit unions to leverage digital technology and artificial intelligence,” the league said.
The discussion was moderated by Larry Palochik, executive vice president and executive director for Fuel Solutions, and focused on a central message: credit unions are at a critical juncture and “must rapidly digitize key member interactions — from complex compliance to retirement planning — to secure member primacy in an increasingly competitive landscape.
“A significant portion of the discussion focused on leveraging AI to solve two of the industry’s most persistent problems. The first is rising operational costs, and the second is regulatory burden,” the leagues added.
AI & The Virtual Workforce
Glia Co-founder and CEO Jake Tyler told attendees AI is crucial to the virtual workforce within the contact center, saying his company’s platform unifies AI and human agents to handle interactions, enabling credit unions to improve service quality while tackling high attrition rates and costly after-hours support.
Similarly, Transvision Solutions CEO Manu Nagappa addressed the urgent compliance challenges facing credit unions, which he noted NCUA has identified as a top concern for 2025, particularly regarding cybersecurity and evolving BSA/AML regulations.
Nagappa said Transvision’s NextGen AI-powered Financial Crime Compliance Platform addresses AML, fraud, and Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD), replaces fragmented legacy tools, and offers real-time transaction monitoring and dynamic risk scoring that significantly reduces false positives and compliance costs.
Member Acquisition & Retention
Speaking to the issue of acquisition and retention and how AI-powered lending can transform transaction-based borrowers into lifelong primary members, Upstart’s Max Rothstein introduced a member cross-sell solution that he said challenges the conventional wisdom that indirect lending cannot grow primary membership.
According to Rothstein, the AI-powered solution allows borrowers, as part of the loan journey, to seamlessly open deposit accounts and switch direct deposit and bill pay, making the establishment of primacy “frictionless.”
Meanwhile, Clutch’s Ruben Tamminga demonstrated his company’s Fastlane, which he said is designed to dramatically shorten the time between application and funding, transforming the process from an era of submission and waiting to a simple, immediate conclusion.
By using real-time data, internal relationship history, and verification automation, Fastlane eliminates the lag time, routing approved loans instantly into the Loan Origination System (LOS), Tamminga told the meeting.
The Generational Wealth Transfer
According to the leagues, perhaps the biggest challenge highlighted was the risk credit unions face in losing the massive generational wealth transfer, estimated to be over $80 trillion, as it moves from Baby Boomers to digital-first heirs.
TAPP Engine CEO Will Dolan told the meeting traditional wealth management strategies are inadequate for the growing population of digital-first adopters, and that his company’s credit unions become modernized investment centers by providing customized tools, curated learning, practice trading environments, and fractional share investing directly through mobile and online banking platforms.
“This empowers credit unions to capture inheritors who want to guide their own wealth journey,” according to the company.
‘Critical Opportunity’
Finally, Silvur CEO Rhian Horgan told attendees Medicare support is a “critical opportunity to gain access to the retirement financial needs of their members.”
Horgan explained that Medicare is one of the most complex financial decisions members face, presenting a unique opportunity for credit unions to step into the void as a trusted, compliant guide, the leagues said.
“This service not only deepens loyalty during a high-stakes life transition but also creates a new stream of non-interest income and drives referrals without adding significant operational burden to the credit union,” according to the company.
