Muddying the Stablecoin Waters- Not a Genius Move
Release Date: 10/28/2025
Unplugged, Unscripted, Unfiltered
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
John and Glen connect with Defense Credit Union Council CEO Tony Hernandez to discuss CU Unplugged, the interactive credit union “un-conference” debuting in late March in San Francisco. Also, Glen surveys the chaos and mixed messaging stemming from the proposed 10% cap on credit card interest. Links related to this episode: CU Unplugged, March 30 – April 2 at Visa’s Market Support Center in San Francisco: The Defense Credit Union Council: Last week’s 2026 Predictions episode: Financial Health Network CEO Jennifer Tescher’s analysis of the proposed 10%...
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2026: Do Markets Still Hate Uncertainty?
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
The BIGCast Gang ventures into the highly turbulent waters of 2026 fintech and credit union predictions- assessing the bright and dark sides of AI, vibe coding, the outlook for mergers, interest rates and of course, Bitcoin. Glen throws in a Rob Reiner/Stephen King reference for good measure. Links related to this episode: John Janclaes/The CEO Corner: Anne Legg/Thrive Strategic Services: Lou Grilli via LinkedIn: Money 20/20’s “Who the F Knows?” predictions: Plaid’s 2026 Predictions: December’s episode grading our 2025 predictions and marking off...
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Turning the Page… or Marking a Checkpoint?
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
The BIGCast Gang convenes for its annual roundup of the biggest stories impacting credit unions and fintechs (zero points awarded for guessing #1 on the list). Some Q1 headlines seem like ancient history, while others are gifts that just keep on giving. Bitcoin delivered its usual wild ride- but in 2025 it had plenty of company. Links related to this episode: John Janclaes/ The CEO Corner: Anne Legg/ Thrive Strategic Services: Lou Grilli via LinkedIn: The AI Index John referenced: The BIGCast is taking a two-week holiday break; check in for new content on Tuesday...
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Calling “Bingo!” in a Crazy Year
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
We have a winner! John and Glen sort through the squares of our 2025 Bingo (or BIG-Go) cards to assess the “gimme” events, items that occurred but differently than expected, and a few things that didn’t wind up happening… yet. Links related to this episode: Our February blog explaining the BIG-Go game: PayPal/Venmo’s merchant relationship with Taco Bell: FedNow transaction volumes- which have already tripled over 2024: The merger of not-quite $10 Billion credit unions: Join us for our final CU Town Hall of 2025- Wednesday December 17 at...
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Humans in the Loop, on the App, and Sometimes in the Branch
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
Glen puts a bow on the 2025 conference calendar, wrapping up interviews with SAP Fioneer Global Head of Payments Carlos Figueredo and banking lifer/Association for Cannabis Banking co-founder Michael Beird. Also- constructive yet cautious takes on AI from a multitude of perspectives. Links related to this episode: Fintech Talents: SAP Fioneer: Carlos Figueredo’s LinkedIn: Michael Beird’s LinkedIn profile and Cannabis Banking playbook: The Association for Cannabis Banking: Join us...
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Talkin’ Turkey with the Team
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
Continuing our holiday tradition, John and Glen welcome regular contributors Anne Legg and Lou Grilli to share thoughts on the happenings that made them grateful (Fintech and credit union-wise) over the past year. Includes takes on the GENIUS Act, shutdown relief, and the Napster Age of AI. Links related to this episode: Thrive Strategic Services- Where Anne Legg Creates More Awesome: Lou Grilli: Chip Filson’s “Just a Member” blog: Arnall Golden Gregory’s take on the proposed Visa/Mastercard settlement: LAST CALL for our BIG-Go...
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Venturing into the Credit Union Vanguard
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
Part 2 of our VentureTech coverage features Glen’s interviews with founders of all three finalists from the main stage event: Matt Dicou of Reset, Cary Fortin of Goodbuy and Jordan Mackler of ScribeUp. Also- Chase pushes forward with its “pay for data” model. Links related to this episode: Reset: Goodbuy: ScribeUp: Last week’s episode featuring Aries Fraud Solutions, KeySavvy and Remynt: VentureTech: CNBC’s take on JPMorgan Chase’s traction in charging for open banking data: William Mills’ annual Financial Trade Show/Conference Directory: Join us...
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Launching from Obscurity, Venturing into the Mainstream
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
In our first wave of VentureTech coverage Glen speaks with a trio of co-founders, from Launch Party winners Aries Fraud Solutions (unveiling its Obscurity Card) and main stage standouts KeySavvy and Remynt. Also- skepticism meets déjà vu on the proposed Visa/Mastercard settlement. Links related to this episode: Aries Fraud Solutions: KeySavvy: Remynt: VentureTech: Reuters’ take on the proposed Visa/Mastercard merchant settlement: Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday November 19 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live...
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Agents, Stablecoins, and a Touch of Friction
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
Glen boils down the prevailing themes from this year’s Money 20/20 conference, upping the ante via interviews with a pair of compelling startups (Eloquent AI and RentFlow) and Paze’s update on securing identity through the digital wallet. Also- Fiserv shakes investors to the core, and open banking continues to ruffle feathers. Links related to this episode: Eloquent AI: RentFlow: Paze: A credit union-specific take on Fiserv’s stock meltdown: Western Union’s stablecoin play: PayPal and Google Cloud’s agentic AI gambit:...
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Muddying the Stablecoin Waters- Not a Genius Move
The BIGCast: Sharing the credit union industry's current breakthroughs in innovation and discussing the latest hot topics
John and Glen tackle the key takeaways from recent market headlines: Open Ai’s commercial relationship with Walmart, the temporary “de-pegging” of so-called stablecoin Ethena (USDe), and the warning flare it sets off for broader stablecoin adoption. Plus- Zelle goes global, and people still have a lot to say about Section 1033. Links related to this episode: The Open AI/Walmart partnership: The Crypto Times’ coverage of USDe’s brief “depeg” incident: Zelle’s move into stablecoin and cross-border payments: Payments...
info_outlineJohn and Glen tackle the key takeaways from recent market headlines: Open Ai’s commercial relationship with Walmart, the temporary “de-pegging” of so-called stablecoin Ethena (USDe), and the warning flare it sets off for broader stablecoin adoption. Plus- Zelle goes global, and people still have a lot to say about Section 1033.
Links related to this episode:
The Open AI/Walmart partnership: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/14/walmart-openai-chatgpt-shopping.html
The Crypto Times’ coverage of USDe’s brief “depeg” incident: https://www.cryptotimes.io/2025/10/13/ethena-founder-clarifies-usde-stablecoin-depeg-incident-on-binance/
Zelle’s move into stablecoin and cross-border payments: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zelle-goes-international-early-warning-expands-1t-payments-network-with-stablecoin-initiative-302593440.html
Payments Dive’s article on the deluge of Section 1033 comments: https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/cfpb-open-banking-comments-stripe-jpmorgan-mastercard-aba-fta-eta/803570/
FedNow’s Q3 transaction and volume data: https://www.frbservices.org/resources/financial-services/fednow/quarterly-volume-value-stats
RTP’s Q3 transaction and volume data: https://www.theclearinghouse.org/payment-systems/rtp
Join us for our next CU Town Hall- Wednesday November 19 at 3pm ET/Noon PT- for a live and lively interactive conversation tackling the major issues facing credit unions today. The Town Hall is free to attend, but advance registration is required: https://www.cutownhall.com/
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