In what is a recurring feature, Finopotamus spotlights innovative women who are positively impacting technology applications in the credit union industry, and beyond. For this issue, we visited with Pidgin’s Vice President of Marketing and Solutions, Dr. Angela Murphy.
By W.B. King
Earning degrees from Northwest Missouri State University in science and English language and literature, respectively, Angela Murphy later received a doctorate in rhetoric and composition from the University of Kansas. While not a common technology origin story, the combination of these pursuits served her well.
“Though my educational background is not rooted in tech or finance, my unique academic experiences solidified my belief that true transformation does not rely on technology alone,” Murphy told Finopotamus. “The best innovations focus on people and relationships, with technology as the enabler.”
Prior to joining Pidgin in 2024 as its vice president of marketing and solutions, Murphy held a myriad of positions, including serving as an instructor at the University of Kansas, a strategic partner/manager at TreviPay and vice president of business development at Photon Commerce, among other roles.
“I began my career in payments technology in 2018, driven by a deep interest in the intersection of technology and financial services,” she said of her time with TreviPay, adding that after receiving her doctorate she assumed several other roles in fintech, payments, and eCommerce.
“I developed a passion for solving complex problems in the payments industry. I remain fascinated with this evolving space and look forward to seeing what the future holds for financial services,” she continued. “I’ve always been fascinated with how technology could revolutionize transactions and enhance user experiences, and this curiosity has only grown the longer I’ve worked in fintech.”
Thought Leader Mentorship
Regarding women working in technology in the financial institution (FI) space, Murphy said there is still progress to be realized, especially in leadership positions. The pandemic and resulting lockdown, in some cases, made matters worse, she added.
“A lot of mid-career leaders opted to exit the workforce, leaving a gap that hasn’t been fully resolved. However, initiatives aimed at supporting women in tech, such as PayTech Women, RiseUp, Women in Payments, and others have been instrumental in connecting early career women with strong mentors while also providing advocacy and education,” she shared. “I’ve had the privilege of witnessing these changes first-hand and am inspired by the diverse perspectives and talents that women bring to the industry.”
Pidgin’s company culture, Murphy further explained, empowers women. To this end, she has always been encouraged to share strategic ideas, which, she noted, is essential in the ever-changing payments industry. “When we have a diverse group of voices at the table making decisions about payments use cases and innovations, we can create payment experiences that benefit everyone,” she said.
A champion for women professionals coming up the ranks behind her, she needs only to look to her past for inspiration. While at TreviPay, she encountered her first mentor, Martha Salinas.
“She had been in the industry for over 20 years and took a chance on someone with no financial services background. From the time I started, she believed in me and went out of her way to teach me about the payments industry. She advocated for me and showed me how to be a strong woman leader in this industry,” Murphy continued. “Since my time at TreviPay, I’ve had the privilege of working with many extremely talented women, and I would not be the thought leader I am today without their influence.”
Responding to Market Needs
Over the last 10-plus years, Murphy has experienced a noticeable shift in the technology space. Technology departments are no longer siloed with teams working on infrastructure and operational efficiency initiatives, she noted. Rather, there is a universal goal of instilling agility and innovation across the organization.
“Today, the emphasis is on cross-functional collaboration and rapid iteration to provide customer–focused solutions. This change has enabled faster delivery of financial services products and more dynamic responses to market needs,” she noted. “For instance, the integration of real-time payments and advanced artificial intelligence (AI)-driven insights are now pivotal in shaping how financial institutions operate.”
Over the noted time period, the payments industry, she said, has also morphed—payment behaviors, whether B2B or P2P, have been redefined. Due to offerings from Venmo, PayPal and Zelle, consumers are now seeking similar instant payments options in their workplaces and at their FIs, she offered.
“There’s an opportunity for credit unions to analyze their member segments to deeply understand their payments behaviors and strategize about how to incorporate payments as a horizontal offering across their organizations,” she told Finopotamus. “This approach can drive revenue, while also creating dynamic customer experiences.”
Staying Relevant and Competitive
Calling FedNow and RTP Network a once in a lifetime payments innovation, Murphy has been leading Pidgin’s go-to-market, real-time payments ecosystem strategy, what she called a career highlight.
“It’s exceedingly rare for the U.S. to launch an entirely new payment network and Pidgin is helping credit unions reap the benefits of faster payments by connecting to these new rails,” she noted. “This is a massive undertaking as an industry but it’s proving to be so rewarding already, both for credit unions and their members. When credit unions can offer their members faster payments, they are able to stay relevant and competitive.”
Noting the sharp increase in digital wallet adoption rates by consumers in recent years, Murphy said supporting this platform is a “great way” for credit unions to drive deposits and improve liquidity. She noted one of Pidgin’s clients, a corporate credit union, has noticed high volumes of payments from employers such as GrubHub, Door Dash and Uber.
“Pidgin enables members who work in these jobs to gain access to their wages sooner, rather than wait several business days for funds to settle into their account through traditional methods like ACH,” she told Finopotamus.
“Not only does this improve the individual member’s experience, but it also improves liquidity for the credit union,” she continued. “It’s genuinely exciting to see how innovations in the payments space are transforming the credit union industry and benefiting members.”
There are other tech trends catching Murphy’s attention, including the convergence of real-time payments and AI. “The ability to facilitate instant transactions and leverage AI for fraud detection and personalized financial services is going to revolutionize our industry,” she said. “The potential for AI to further enhance financial services and operational efficiencies is also incredibly promising.”
Another area of interest for both Pidgin and credit unions, she said, is the shift to the ISO 20022 standard (a global standard for how FIs send and receive electronic data). She is excited by how this update could unlock potential for payments at scale, “especially with APIs (application programming interfaces) that are built to handle the new data format. This will enable credit unions to move millions of transactions at high speed.”
Adapting to Technological Changes
Celebrating the credit union industry’s member-centric approach and commitment to the communities they operate in, Murphy said unlike larger banks, credit unions provide more personalized financial solutions.
“From a technology perspective, this means that many credit unions are already leveraging innovations to enhance member experiences, while staying true to their core values of service and community,” she said.
“However, we’ve only touched the surface of what is possible with instant payments. There are still countless use cases that are being discovered and developed,” she continued. “I believe the creativity and member-centric culture of credit unions will help unlock those new use cases and fuel even more developments in the faster payments space.”
Positive credit union partnerships with fintechs, she noted, are essential to continuing the “people helping people” philosophy and ensuring the industry remains competitive in the FI space.
“One example is Pidgin’s role in facilitating real-time payments through our platform, which connects credit unions to the FedNow Service, RTP Network and other payment networks,” she told Finopotamus. “This partnership allows credit unions to offer instant payment options and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape. Collaborating with fintechs helps credit unions adapt to technological changes and meet their members' needs more effectively.”