PLANO, Texas — Catalyst Corporate Credit Union said it has acquired a strategic ownership stake in Neural Payments, deepening an existing partnership aimed at expanding digital payment capabilities for credit unions, according to a press release.
The investment is intended to accelerate product development at Neural Payments while giving Catalyst greater influence over the companies’ shared product roadmap, particularly as it relates to credit union needs. Neural Payments’ technology will play a key role in Catalyst’s Open Payments Hub, which is designed to unify digital, instant and traditional payment channels into a single platform.
“Catalyst has always been focused on building the infrastructure credit unions need to compete — today and in the future,” said Bruce Fox, president and CEO of Catalyst, in a statement. “In Neural Payments, we saw an opportunity to accelerate payment innovation for the credit union industry.”
Prior Work
The companies have previously worked together to embed digital payment capabilities within mobile and online banking platforms. Catalyst said the new ownership stake strengthens its ability to align front-end digital experiences with back-end payment systems, including data access and settlement functions.
The combined capabilities of Catalyst and Neural Payments are expected to provide credit unions with a modular payments platform supporting peer-to-peer transactions, one-to-many disbursements, instant payments and future use cases, the company said.
Catalyst and Neural Payments are also pursuing a multi-year development plan to expand payment functionality without requiring additional integrations or partners.
On the Roadmap
Catalyst said key roadmap initiatives include:
- Expanded instant payment use cases, including real-time funding and payouts for consumer and business transactions
- Enhanced support for auto lending and dealer payments, enabling faster settlement and improved competitiveness at the point of sale
- Business disbursements and outbound payments embedded directly within digital banking experiences
- Future-ready digital wallet capabilities, including support for emerging payment models such as stablecoin and tokenized value as market demand evolves
- Continued expansion across multiple payment rails, including FedNow, RTP, ACH, wire and debit and credit networks through a unified interface
Broader Strategy
Catalyst said the initiatives build on its broader strategy of creating a comprehensive payments ecosystem through a mix of proprietary technology, partnerships and investments.
“This isn’t about a single product or rail, it’s about building a future-ready payments foundation,” Fox said. “We’re ensuring that credit unions can deliver the same sophisticated digital payment experiences as the largest banks.”
Mick Oppy, co-founder and CEO of Neural Payments, said the investment reflects a shared vision to expand embedded, real-time payment capabilities for credit unions.
“This investment reflects a shared vision for the future of digital payments and allows us to move faster in delivering embedded, real-time payment experiences,” Oppy said.
