Filene Research Institute

Filene Research Institute Nonprofit, independent think and do tank for the consumer finance industry. Examining the future of credit unions, retail banking and cooperative finance.

08/26/2026

We asked our FiLab cohort one important question: Which pitches are you most excited about? đź‘€

A few solutions are already catching their attention.

Here’s what’s on their radar. 🎬

Where do innovators think credit unions have the most room to grow?We read through all 27 FiLab semifinalists heading to...
08/24/2026

Where do innovators think credit unions have the most room to grow?

We read through all 27 FiLab semifinalists heading to the Symposium, and the themes are hard to miss: member growth and lending, fraud prevention, automation and data.

That's a signal worth paying attention to. It shows where the market thinks the friction is right now.

At the Symposium, sponsors hear the pitches and help decide which solutions move into testing with real credit unions in 2027.

We broke down all 27 semifinalists, what each one does and the problem it's trying to solve.

Meet the 27 👇
https://www.filene.org/blog/2027-filab-test-menu-semifinalists

🚀 A record year for FiLab with 27 fintech testing solutions moving forward. FiLab received 120+ submissions for its 2027...
08/19/2026

🚀 A record year for FiLab with 27 fintech testing solutions moving forward.

FiLab received 120+ submissions for its 2027 Test Menu, including 118 fintech applications, a 39% increase over 2025 and the largest applicant pool in FiLab history. Even more telling: 77% came from first-time applicants.

Today, we’re announcing the 27 semifinalists advancing to sponsor evaluation: 25 fintech solutions + 2 Discovery Tests focused on helping credit unions better serve members, strengthen operations and drive sustainable growth.

Next up: the FiLab Symposium in Kansas City, Aug. 25–27. Credit union leaders, strategic partners and innovation experts will hear pitches from the semifinalists and vote on the solutions that will advance to collaborative testing in January 2027. 🗳️

As Filene’s Megan Freshour put it: “Every one of the 27 that advanced earned its place.”

Explore the full 2027 FiLab Test Menu:https://s3.amazonaws.com/cdn.filene.org/content/uploads/Filab2027SneakPeekMenu_Finalv4.pdf

Where are credit unions actually making progress on digital transformation? And where are the gaps still showing?Filene’...
08/18/2026

Where are credit unions actually making progress on digital transformation? And where are the gaps still showing?

Filene’s new Design for Digital benchmarking report brings together insights from 150 credit union leaders to benchmark digital readiness across the industry.

A few areas to watch:
→ Digital strategy and ex*****on
→ Talent and organizational capabilities
→ Member experience
→ Technology and infrastructure
→ AI readiness
→ Ecosystem partnerships

Use the findings to see where your credit union stands, spot areas that need attention and start better conversations with your team.

Dig into the research: https://www.filene.org/reports/design-for-digital-benchmarking

What happens when you understand your members well enough to change how you engage them?Credit unions using Member Pulse...
08/13/2026

What happens when you understand your members well enough to change how you engage them?

Credit unions using Member Pulse are already seeing the possibilities—from rethinking how they position themselves to driving higher engagement than with traditional marketing.

And they’re seeing value in something else, too: dedicated expertise that helps turn member insights into action.

Swipe to hear directly from credit union leaders about the potential they see in Member Pulse.

Ready to better understand what your members need from you? Learn more at https://www.filene.org/programs-services/advisory-services/member-pulse

Your members like you. But can they explain what makes you different?That gap is where Dr. Jonathan Zhang opens his firs...
08/10/2026

Your members like you. But can they explain what makes you different?

That gap is where Dr. Jonathan Zhang opens his first blog as Filene Fellow for the Center of Excellence for Differentiation & Storytelling.
 
He starts with Andrew Turner’s Filene study “Who Do Credit Unions Belong To?”, which found credit unions are broadly viewed positively while raising a harder possibility: likability can coexist with a weak or indistinct identity. Well liked when known. Still the best kept secret.
 
His argument is that this is not a communications problem you fix with better words or a newer channel. It starts upstream, with identity.
 
As Zhang puts it: “The point is not to tell credit unions what they should pretend to be. It is to help them rediscover what is most meaningful about who they already are.”
 
đź”— Read the full blog at link in bio!

08/05/2026

Growing deposits. Growing loans. Growing assets. Yet somehow, credit unions are still the best kept secret in financial services.

Howard Brady, President and CEO of American Eagle Financial Credit Union, has seen the movement's impact firsthand since joining in 2006. But he's candid about the gap that remains:

"Credit unions remain the best kept secret on the financial services landscape. It's incredibly important that we raise the bar on the art of storytelling, helping people understand exactly what we can do for them at their greatest time of need."

Howard understands the opportunity. That's why American Eagle partnered with Filene as a sponsor of the Differentiation and Storytelling Center of Excellence and why he's encouraging credit union leaders everywhere to get involved.

Want to see what this partnership is building? Click here: https://tinyurl.com/5cdkcpfh

A segmentation tool that demonstrated an increase in new balances and cross-sell in a credit union pilot? Yes please. Y...
07/29/2026

A segmentation tool that demonstrated an increase in new balances and cross-sell in a credit union pilot? Yes please.

Your current segmentation data might tell you their age, income, or life stage. Great. But if you're still sending the same message to all of your members, or segmenting only by demographics, this webinar is for you. Super charge your personalization strategy with Filene’s Member Pulse segmentation.

Join us Thursday, August 6th at 11am CT, for "Personalization That Pays Off", a live webinar on how smarter segmentation is helping credit unions personalize at scale, deepen relationships, and grow balances.

Register here to begin your credit union's personalization journey today: https://tinyurl.com/mry9ze84

07/28/2026

You are inherently different. But different only wins when people can see it.

Meghan Burris Small, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at America's Credit Unions, puts it plainly:

"Credit unions were founded as an alternative to banks. From your mission to your structure, you are inherently different. The decisions that you make every single day, they're not just about dollars and cents. They are about community impact and what happens when you say yes, when others have already said no."

In this video, Meghan explains why America's Credit Unions signed on as a sponsor of Filene's Center for Differentiation & Storytelling: "Storytelling is essential to our success as a movement."

Where is your credit union most different from the bank down the street, and would your members say the same thing?

Learn more about Filene’s Differentiation and Storytelling Center here: https://tinyurl.com/5cdkcpfh

Your board checked every box on the skills recruitment grid: finance, tech, risk. So why do the meetings still grind?A s...
07/23/2026

Your board checked every box on the skills recruitment grid: finance, tech, risk. So why do the meetings still grind?

A skills matrix tells you what experience your board has. It doesn’t tell you how boards actually perform: behavior, personalities and work preferences all impact how directors interact with each other and your executives.

New Filene research put three behavioral assessment tools to work in real credit union boardrooms:

1. The Predictive Index
2. The WorkPlace Big Five Profile
3. Harrison Assessments

In one case, a Director's formal approach initially created friction in the boardroom until the assessment enabled the team to recognize it as a valuable tactic that protected the board against groupthink. Authors Amy Hillman, Tiffany Litscher, and George Hofheimer explain each tool, offer real case studies, and provide questions to consider.

Before your next board meeting, ask the four questions found in "Leveraging Behavioral Assessment Tools to Improve Credit Union Board Governance" in our link in bio to see if you can drive a more effective board experience.

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