For the 2025 edition of the annual Finopotamus “Holiday Tech Wish List” feature, we sat down with forward-looking fintech and credit union executives who shared their tech hopes and forecasted market realities for 2025. Due to a significant number of intriguing responses, this year’s Wish List will be presented in five consecutive installments.
Part 2 features insights from Ncontracts, Finotta, Pidgin, Rapid Finance, Kinective, Quantalytix and Bancography.
By W.B. King
Wishing for Fair Lending Compliance for the Credit Union Industry
In response to recent redlining cases by financial institutions that restricted access to credit and mortgage lending services in majority-Black, Hispanic, and Asian neighborhoods, Rafael DeLeon, Ncontracts SVP of Industry Engagement, wishes for “robust and fair” lending compliance for the credit union industry.
“The Department of Justice's recent – and first of its kind – redlining settlement with a credit union highlights the critical importance. While often unintended, redlining is a discriminatory practice in which financial institutions deny services or impose stricter conditions on individuals based on their geographic location,” DeLeon told Finopotamus. “The term originated from the historical practice of drawing red lines on maps to outline neighborhoods, often with high minority or low-income populations, deemed ‘risky,’ leading to unequal access to financial products or terms.”
The Brentwood, Tenn.-based Ncontracts provides risk management and compliance solutions for financial services companies.
With Department of Justice (DOJ) oversight, DeLeon believes his wish can come true in the coming year.
“The DOJ has sent a clear message to credit unions, so it should be top of mind,” he said, offering the following words from Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke: “This redlining settlement…makes clear our intent to hold all types of lenders accountable for their role in modern-day redlining.” DeLeon continued, “The DOJ also describes the credit union settlement as a ‘landmark agreement’ and a ‘historic achievement for the Combating Redlining Initiative.’ Add to this an increase in referrals to the DOJ by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and increased scrutiny is inevitable. Credit unions must take these warnings seriously.”
As DeLeon looks to 2025 and beyond, he hopes credit unions act on the aforementioned issues, noting that that fair lending compliance is not just “a bank problem.”
“By implementing comprehensive fair lending analytics, establishing a strong CMS (compliance management solution), and cultivating a culture of accountability, credit unions can effectively mitigate fair lending risks while reinforcing their commitment to equitable service,” he continued. “Beyond creating processes, credit unions must also maintain proactive analysis, training, and monitoring. With the right tools and processes, they can navigate fair lending compliance effectively, maintaining trust among their members and communities.”
Wishing for Credit Unions to Adopt Tools Based in Empathy
Finotta Founder and CEO Parker Graham believes that empathy is required to build better relationships, enhance member retention, and offer personalized experiences that cater to the diverse needs of today’s consumers.
“Empathy in financial wellness is essential,” Graham said, noting it is his top wish for 2025. “By prioritizing empathy in digital channels, credit unions can offer tailored mobile-first solutions that address members’ needs. Tools like personalized budgeting, gamified financial education, and real-time support can help rebuild trust, enhance engagement and drive growth.”
The Overland, Kan.-based fintech embeds its products and features into financial institutions’ (FIs) digital banking channels with the purpose of creating a personalized experience that predicts member needs, increases product conversions, and delivers actionable guidance.
If credit unions foster a culture of innovation that balances enthusiasm for new technologies with thoughtful implementation, Graham believes his wish can be realized.
“The key lies in embracing change with careful consideration. A prudent strategy involves starting with small-scale technology tests, identifying solutions that truly resonate with members, and maintaining the flexibility to adjust course as needed,” he shared. “The goal isn't to achieve perfection from the outset, but rather to foster a culture of ongoing improvement and maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving financial landscape.”
Looking toward 2025, he hopes the credit union industry navigates the balance between innovation and member-focused service.
“Credit unions should aim to foster a learning culture that encourages experimentation and calculated risk-taking to drive continuous improvement. They should enhance member experience by leveraging technology to provide more inclusive and accessible financial services, while maintaining a competitive edge by offering innovative solutions that resonate with members of all ages,” Graham said.
“Fintechs can and should play a collaborative role in this transformation,” he added. “They can offer partnership opportunities, providing specialized technologies and expertise to help credit unions innovate efficiently.”
Wishing Credit Unions Fully Embrace the Power of Real-Time Payments
For 2025, Pidgin Founder and CEO Abhishek Veeraghanta wishes that credit unions not only “receive” instant payments through networks like FedNow and RTP, but will support “send” capabilities, as well.
The Atlanta-based fintech offers a secure, real-time payments platform built for the future of payments and serves 30 credit union clients.
“According to the U.S. Faster Payments Council, 70% to 80% of financial institutions are expected to support receiving instant payments by 2028. However, only 30% to 40% are projected to enable sending payments within the same timeframe,” he shared. “This gap underscores a missed opportunity to maximize the potential of real-time payment networks.”
While these statistics aren’t exactly encouraging, Veeraghanta told Finopotamus he remains optimistic.
“As our industry tackles these challenges, I believe more credit unions will recognize the value of offering send capabilities,” he said, noting that many FIs have been slower to act on send capabilities due to concerns about fraud, a lack of alias tools, and limited user interfaces. “It’s a critical step that not only strengthens their position in the payments space but also enhances the member experience—something credit unions are known for prioritizing.”
In 2025, Veeraghanta hopes that more credit unions recognize the transformative power of real-time payments—not just as a convenience for members but as a strategic tool to optimize costs and drive growth. He noted, for example, that over 60% of B2B payments are made via paper checks, which costs between $4 to $20 each to process, depending on the industry.
“This is where fintech partnerships become a game-changer. Implementing real-time payments—especially send capabilities—can be challenging, particularly for credit unions with smaller teams or limited technical resources,” he continued. “Credit unions have a real opportunity to lead the way in real-time payments adoption, with fintechs serving as trusted allies to overcome resource constraints, foster innovation, and deliver outstanding experiences to their members.”
Wishing for Credit Unions to Prioritize Investments in Technology That Empowers Small Businesses
By investing in data-driven decisions technologies through artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics, Rapid Finance VP of Clients Solutions Preethi Janardhanan believes that credit unions can better serve small businesses.
“Small businesses are vital to local communities and the broader economy, yet many remain underserved by financial institutions. By adopting advanced technologies, credit unions can fill this gap, offering solutions that drive local economic growth while enhancing their relevance and competitive edge,” she told Finopotamus.
The Bethesda, MD-based fintech, which supports 270 employees, 80 of which are tech-facing, offers fast, flexible funding solutions to small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S.
“Credit unions already possess vast amounts of member data that, if utilized effectively, could unlock deeper insights into member and small business needs,” Janardhanan continued. “Leveraging tools that provide these insights would enable credit unions to deliver highly personalized, efficient financial services, ultimately improving member satisfaction and loyalty.”
The likelihood of credit unions embracing her vision in 2025 is promising, but she noted challenges exist, including lean budgets, implementing and managing AI solutions that require specialized skills, as well as outdated systems and fragmented data architectures.
“Adopting new technologies requires not just financial investment but also cultural and operational changes within organizations,” she shared. “Despite these challenges, strategic partnerships with fintechs could help credit unions navigate this transformation. Collaboration is key to addressing technological and operational hurdles while delivering solutions that are both scalable and impactful.”
As 2025 nears, Janardhanan hopes the credit union industry “strengthens its role as a driver of local economic growth.” This goal can be achieved, she added, by deepening support for small businesses through innovative solutions and fintech partnerships.
“I believe that credits unions are uniquely positioned to foster financial inclusion, and by combining their community focus with fintech expertise, they can unlock new opportunities,” she continued. “By aligning their strengths, credit unions and fintechs can create robust financial solutions that empower small businesses, strengthen communities and ensure long-term industry growth.”
Wishing for Widespread Adoption of Unified, AI-Driven Solutions
"My top IT wish for 2025 is for AI-powered solutions to take center stage, allowing institutions to analyze client data, find valuable insights, and determine the best next steps for their member," said Kinective EVP of Engineering Nish Shah.
“With AI-driven real-time analytics, credit unions can offer personalized services and financial guidance, while continuing to maintain compliance and security standards,” he told Finopotamus, regarding his wish.
Whether or not this wish will come true in 2025 is debatable, he added.
"While many fintechs are working on AI models to support financial services, regulatory hurdles and budget constraints are significant obstacles. Additionally, there’s a natural hesitation—being an early adopter can feel risky, and some institutions aren’t yet convinced of AI’s full potential," he continued. "The technology and the industry's receptivity to it need to mature for broader adoption to take place. Moving forward will require a clear plan, strong communication, and a focus on building trust and confidence in the technology."
Turning toward 2025 and beyond, Shah hopes the credit union industry finds a way to blend branch and digital channels using modern technologies that can bring "these two worlds closer together, using self-service models where it makes sense and consolidating hardware with untethered, flexible solutions."
Shah continued. "Fintechs should play a key role in this transformation by providing software that’s easy to adopt, automates branch operations, and strengthens digital connectivity. Most importantly, credit unions need the freedom to partner with fintechs that align with their unique needs to create seamless, member-focused experiences. This will empower them to deliver a cohesive and personalized member journey that integrates the best of in-branch and digital services."
Wishing Credit Unions Implement Executive-Driven Data Strategies to Leverage Data
This “data” wish was offered by Tadgh Spradlin, VP of sales and partnerships at Quantalytix, who added that by implementing executive-driven data strategies, credit unions can leverage data for improved performance-based insights and enhance member engagement.
Will Bryant, co-founder and COO, also offered a wish: “For the credit unions industry to embrace implementing simple yet powerful data strategies and taking the first steps to future-proofing their organizations.”
The Birmingham, Ala.-based fintech’s goal is to simplify big data to empower financial institutions in a data driven world.
When Finopotamus asked about the chances of their wishes coming true in 2025, Tadgh responded: “Fifty-fifty as many financial institutions, including credit unions, struggle to centralize, organize and standardize data in such a manner as to drive performance measures and insights to the front-line and executives. These are critical steps necessary to apply the newest technologies for machine learning and artificial intelligence.”
For Bryant, there are certain challenges associated with his wish, including removing the “ambiguity and vagueness” around what “data strategy” means. “Many companies have pieces in place, have a general vision for getting more of out of their data, but few have complete alignment of enterprise management, data strategy, and technology stack.”
As these colleagues look to 2025, Tadgh hopes that fintechs will play a “significant role” in helping credit unions driving performance and thus ensuring growth and heightened member satisfaction. “By partnering with appropriate experts and solutions credit unions can create operational efficiencies and reduce deployment time and costs.”
Bryant added that he hopes that fintechs will continue to extend services, create efficiencies, or complement the strategies of companies they partner with. “As the credit union continues to grow, it is important to consider how fintech partnership can further their mission of serving their members and communities.”
Wishing Credit Unions Enable MSRs to Open Accounts for New Members
“We’d like to see credit unions enabling MSRs (member service representatives) to use the institution’s own website to open accounts for new members, along with a scanner application for taking checks and signatures, so that an MSR, armed with no more than a laptop and an online connection, can visit someone’s office, or a local retirement home, or a college student union,” Bancography’s President Steve Reider told Finopotamus.
The Birmingham, Ala.-based company offers consulting services, software tools, and primary marketing research to FIs to support their branch, product and brand positioning strategies.
If his wish comes true in 2025, he said FIs can support the opening of any kind of depository account on the spot, take the initial deposit, and email the member their signed documents, with initial check order, debit card (hard copies by mail the following day). “Suddenly, everywhere is a branch, the branch is wherever our MSR happens to be.”