TORONTO–Here is the newest installment in the CU Daily’s CU Shopper series, highlighting the latest product introductions from vendors to credit unions, as well as the solutions credit unions are investing in.
Cyder, a Provider of Loyalty Programs, Says Financing Round is Oversubscribed
TORONTO— Cyder, a loyalty fintech focused on credit unions, said it oversubscribed its latest strategic financing round, led by Conexus Venture Capital with participation from MaRS IAF, Graphite Ventures and Sprout Fund.
Cyder said the $3 million round follows increased demand for its platform, which it said supports modern loyalty programs for more than 1.5 million members across North America.
“Credit unions have always led with relationships. Loyalty programs simply bring that strength into the digital era,” said Sukhman Dulay, CEO and co-founder of Cyder.
Cyder said the platform enables more than 100 reward behaviors and is designed for credit unions ranging from about 8,000 members to more than 400,000. The company said loyalty is increasingly shifting from a marketing feature to a core member-experience strategy as competition and consumer expectations rise.
With the new investment, Cyder said it will:
- Expand marketplace partnerships
- Accelerate onboarding of additional credit unions
- Continue scaling across the U.S. and Canada
“We’re seeing a clear shift,” co-founder Will Christodoulou said in a statement. “Credit unions aren’t asking whether they need loyalty, they’re deciding how fast they can launch it.”
Texans Credit Union Selects Spiral for Digital Savings, Giving Tools
NEW YORK— Spiral said it has partnered with Texans Credit Union to add digital savings and giving tools designed to deepen member relationships, grow deposits and expand community impact.
Spiral said Texans has launched personalized digital experiences that allow members to round up everyday card purchases to save toward goals and support charities. The platform also includes an online Giving Center that enables members to donate to nonprofits from digital accounts, build a portfolio of causes, track charitable impact and access donation reports for tax purposes.
“Enhancing the digital experience for our members is a top priority,” said Matt Moore, senior vice president of retail at Texans Credit Union. He said early engagement was strong, including more than 1,000 Roundup enrollments within 48 hours of launch, and member use of the Giving Center.
Spiral said the tools are intended to help Texans:
- Drive awareness and digital donations to nonprofit partners
- Expand offerings for local nonprofits
- Attract nonprofit organizations through fundraising campaigns, donation matching and community-wide events
“Texans’ member-first approach and commitment to innovation set them apart,” Shawn Melamed, CEO and founder of Spiral, said in a statement.
AKUVO Signed 22 New Customers During Q4
MALVERN, Penn.— AKUVO said it signed 22 new customers in the fourth quarter, driving record growth in 2025 with 57 new customers and a 45% increase in its customer base.
“The growth we saw this year—especially in Q4—signals a clear demand for intelligent, automated collections technology,” Jay Mossman, AKUVO founder and CEO, said in a statement.
AKUVO said the new customers cited common drivers for switching, including increased automation and streamlined workflows, improved reporting and operational visibility, stronger digital outreach—particularly via texting—and broader use of connectors and third-party integrations. The company also pointed to demand for tools such as digital self-service and specialty tracking.
The financial institutions that signed in Q4 2025 include:
- American Heritage Credit Union, Philadelphia ($5 billion; 315,000 members)
- Brazos Valley Schools FCU, Katy, Texas ($1 billion; 65,000 members)
- Centricity Credit Union, Hermantown, Minnesota ($312 million; 22,000 members)
- Connexus Credit Union, Wausau, Wisconsin ($4 billion; 430,000+ members)
- Dade County Federal Credit Union, Miami ($1.4 billion; 110,000 members)
- Family Trust FCU, Rock Hill, South Carolina ($730 million; 35,000 members)
- First Financial of Maryland CU, Baltimore ($1.3 billion; 77,000 members)
- First U.S. Community CU, Sacramento, California ($545 million; 28,000 members)
- Fort Bragg Federal Credit Union, Fort Bragg, North Carolina ($664 million; 37,000 members)
- McCoy Federal Credit Union, Orlando, Florida ($1 billion; 81,000 members)
- MIT Federal Credit Union, Lexington, Massachusetts ($730 million; 35,000 members)
- Multipli Federal Credit Union, Jefferson City, Missouri ($1.4 billion; 75,000 members)
- Prospera Credit Union, Appleton, Wisconsin ($367 million; 21,500 members)
- Team One Credit Union, Saginaw, Michigan ($752 million; 47,000 members)
- TTCU Federal Credit Union, Tulsa, Oklahoma ($2.7 billion; 150,000 members)
- Whatcom Educational Credit Union (WECU), Washington (Pacific Northwest)
“What we’re seeing across the market is a clear shift in expectations,” Steve Castagna, AKUVO chief growth officer, said in a statement. “Institutions want modern collections technology that’s automated, highly configurable and built to integrate seamlessly.”
Alkami Shares New Research Identifying Top Trends for 2026
PLANO, Texas— Alkami Technology said new proprietary research has identified the top trends expected to shape business and commercial banking in 2026, pointing to growing opportunities for regional and community financial institutions as digital expectations accelerate.
The research, based on a survey of digital banking decision-makers at U.S. banks and credit unions, highlights how institutions are prioritizing investments as business clients increasingly expect digital onboarding, real-time payments, embedded fraud protection and integration into existing workflows.
Alkami said the findings suggest many institutions face a key challenge: whether their platforms and processes are keeping pace with evolving expectations while improving efficiency and speed to value.
According to Alkami, the top business and commercial banking trends identified for 2026 include:
- Continued growth in digital onboarding and self-service account management
- Fraud protection evolving from a cost center into a competitive differentiator
- Emerging use of AI-powered relationship management
- Rising demand for real-time treasury and payments visibility
- Increasing expectations for consumer-grade digital experiences
- API-driven connectivity embedding banking into business workflows
- Expanded access to financial insights through data democratization
- Growing adoption of mobile-first treasury access
- Shift toward best-of-breed treasury technology stacks
- Greater use of adaptive, role-based treasury platforms
“These trends show where business and commercial banking leaders are focused as they plan for the year ahead,” said Taylor Adkins, vice president of product management at Alkami.
Payfinia Partners With Deluxe to Expand Access to Paze
PORTLAND, Ore.— Payfinia said it has partnered with Deluxe to expand access to Paze, a digital wallet and online checkout experience developed by Early Warning Services and offered by major U.S. financial institutions.
Under the collaboration, Payfinia will support credit unions and community banks in enabling Paze for cardholders, while Deluxe will allow merchants to accept Paze at checkout. The companies said the partnership strengthens adoption on both sides of the payments ecosystem.
For independent software vendors building commerce, billing and vertical-market platforms, the partnership provides a turnkey way to embed Paze directly into applications, eliminating the need to manage issuer relationships or wallet integrations, the companies said.
Key elements of the collaboration include, according to the company:
- Enablement of Paze for credit union and community bank cardholders
- Merchant acceptance of Paze through Deluxe’s payments gateway
- Embedded digital wallet access for ISVs without added operational burden
- Faster time to market and reduced integration complexity
“Community financial institutions are prioritizing seamless eCommerce experiences,” said Keith Riddle, general manager of Payfinia.
Brian Mahony, president of Deluxe Merchant Services, said the partnership allows software platforms to deliver trusted digital payment experiences at scale.
Rise Analytics Adds Seven New CU Clients
TAMPA, Fla.— Rise Analytics said it signed seven new credit union clients in the fourth quarter of 2025 and early 2026 and renewed partnerships with 20 existing credit unions, signaling continued momentum entering 2026.
Rise Analytics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trellance.
The new credit unions include:
- 1st MidAmerica Credit Union – Data Lakehouse, Predictive Analytics, Loan Analytics
- CDC Federal Credit Union – Data Lakehouse, Predictive Analytics, Loan Analytics
- Cranberry Federal Credit Union – Loan Grading
- Ellafi Federal Credit Union – Essential Analytics
- Har-co Credit Union – Data Lakehouse
- Service 1st Federal Credit Union – Data Lakehouse, Predictive Analytics, Loan Analytics
- Minnco Credit Union – Essential Analytics
Rise said Essential Analytics, launched in late 2025, is designed as a lower-cost entry option for credit unions seeking faster access to insights without a full enterprise analytics deployment.
The company also renewed partnerships with 20 credit unions, including United Nations FCU, Summit Credit Union, Northwest Federal Credit Union, Chartway Federal Credit Union and Credit Union of Texas.
“Starting the year with this level of new and renewed partnerships reinforces that credit unions trust Rise Analytics,” Paolo Teotino, executive director of Rise Analytics, said in a statement.
HuLoop Automation, Ceto Partner on AI-Powered Work Optimization
AUBURN, Calif.— HuLoop Automation said it has formed a strategic partnership with Ceto to combine AI-powered work optimization with data-driven intelligence and consulting for financial institutions.
Under the partnership, HuLoop’s Unified Work Optimization platform will integrate with Ceto’s NOVA platform and other intelligence solutions, including VendorLink, MarketView and NexBridge. The companies said the integration will allow institutions to automate complex processes while leveraging real-time market and vendor insights.
“Financial institutions face unprecedented competitive and operational pressures,” said Todd Michaud, president and CEO of HuLoop.
Douglas Ceto, CEO of Ceto, said the partnership adds an automation layer that allows institutions to move from insight to execution.
The companies said the alliance blends human expertise, AI and automation to improve operational efficiency, execution and business outcomes for banks and credit unions.
TAPP Engine Launches Platform to Make Loan Securitizations Easier
QUINCY, Mass.— 9Squid Private Markets said it has launched an AI-powered private markets platform designed to help credit unions and community financial institutions access institutional capital through loan securitization.
The platform, a subsidiary of TAPP Engine, is designed to reduce cost and complexity barriers that have historically limited securitization access for smaller institutions.
A core feature of the platform is balance-sheet simulation and optimization, allowing institutions to evaluate securitization scenarios before execution, including impacts on liquidity, capital ratios, earnings and concentration exposure.
“Community institutions play a central role in capital formation, yet many have been priced out of securitization markets,” said Tosin Osunsanya, founder and CEO of TAPP Engine.
Michael Massey, president of TDECU Holdings, said the ability to model balance-sheet outcomes before committing to a transaction makes securitization more practical and repeatable.
Starlight, CU Collaborate in Partnership to Help Members Access Government Benefits
MIAMI–Starlight said it has partnered with CUCollaborate to expand access to government benefit programs for members of more than 300 credit unions nationwide.
Through the partnership, Starlight will help credit unions connect members with assistance programs such as SNAP benefits, childcare support, utility assistance and tax credits. The organizations said the effort targets benefits that often go unclaimed due to complexity.
“This partnership enables credit unions to connect members directly to the government assistance they’re already eligible for,” said Shreenath Regunathan, CEO of Starlight.
CUCollaborate founder and CEO Sam Brownell said the partnership supports member financial wellness and helps credit unions extend services to new and existing members.
The CUCollaborate network includes credit unions serving low-income communities and institutions with CDFI designations, expanding reach to members most likely to benefit, the companies said.
