Author: Communications

RALEIGH, N.C. – Nov. 9, 2021 – Constellation Digital Partners, the first open-development platform for credit union digital banking services, announced today the addition of a data aggregation service within its digital banking offering. The feature makes third-party financial institution account information accessible to any fintech’s service deployed on their platform at a fraction of the legacy cost.

Credit unions using the service can retrieve third party account data from data aggregation resources, which then passes the information to Constellation’s Accounts and Transaction Warehouses – to enable members to share their personal financial information safely and securely, among all other fintech services deployed on the Constellation platform. Members can benefit from their credit union being able to offer many different (fintech) services through the Constellation platform as their financial data and personal information is transferred securely, correctly and in real time.

To fully leverage the data aggregation, Constellation partnered with FinGoal, a company that builds data infrastructure and analytics for the fintech ecosystem. Now, when a member links an off-core account in one service, built by one developer, that data becomes available for that member in other services built by other developers. The data is made available to the credit union as well. FinGoal’s industry-first data aggregation and permission API removes user friction, normalizes data models, and represents a significant cost reduction.

“Harnessing the unique benefits of seamless integration and built-in security provided by the Constellation platform extends our own service’s capabilities.” said David Nohe, CEO of FinGoal. “Credit unions who have built tools and reporting through the Constellation platform for bank-held data will immediately get access to third-party account data linked by their members.”

Data aggregation is foundational to members’ ease-of-use and enhancing their digital experience. Until now it was a costly and time-consuming effort to ensure integration of a credit union’s fintech-developed services, thus difficult to pursue. However, Constellation’s solution benefits both credit unions and fintechs by enabling their ability to deliver on member expectations.

“Providing aggregated account data was made possible with FinGoal’s APIs – which is proof that collaborative development at the platform level is a strategic advantage,” said Constellation President and CEO Kris Kovacs. “Unlike legacy technologies, we can ensure services’ interoperability because innovations such as this are native to our platform, and not an after-thought.”

Interested credit unions and fintech developers can request a platform demo or inquire about Constellation’s service development process and investment opportunities, by visiting constellation.coop/contact-us.

To discover certified services already available on the Constellation platform, or to see which fintechs are actively developing services, visit constellation.coop/directory/services-directory/.

 

 

About Constellation Digital Partners, LLC:

Constellation has created the first open development platform dedicated to credit union and fintech app development. This patented, secure, and flexible cloud-based ecosystem provides credit unions and innovative app developers the ideal platform to deliver safe, reliable, and next-generation digital financial service experiences. Credit unions now have the freedom to compete, innovate, and thrive in the financial services industry. First, by redefining what they offer, and second by delivering digital financial services in a way that places members squarely at the center of their business strategy.

 

About FinGoal

Banks and Credit Unions count on FinGoal data and analytics to understand their individual end-users on a human level—personal values, life events, and current motivations. FinGoal believes if credit unions understood their individual members as deeply as social networks do, one billion more people around the world would have healthy financial breathing room. FinGoal is on a mission to make that happen as the most trusted infrastructure for hyper-personalized financial services. Learn more at www.fingoal.com.

CO-OP WELCOMES THINK ATTENDEES BACK TO IN-PERSON EXPERIENCE WITH THINK 22 IN CHICAGO

Event Promises to Help Credit Union Leaders “Rethink Everything;”

Registration at Early Bird Rate Available Through November 30

For Release on November 16, 2021:

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, California – CO-OP Financial Services announced today it will resume its flagship THINK in-person event, with an immersive conference convening in Chicago this coming May.

Since the global outbreak of COVID-19, the payments fintech has hosted a series of virtual THINK events, including online Forums, Master Classes and Power Lunches. The virtual events attracted more than 5,000 attendees in 2020 and 2021.

THINK 22, taking place May 2-6, 2022, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Chicago, is open for registration immediately by visiting https://co-opthink.org. The Early Bird rate of $999 remains available until November 30. After that date, a “Fall Special” rate of $1,299 continues until January 3, 2022.

“Going virtual maintained strategic momentum – and a much-needed sense of optimism – for the hundreds of leaders who regularly attend our annual THINK event,” said Samantha Paxson, Chief Experience Officer for CO-OP. “Our virtual events introduced thousands of leaders to THINK for the first time. We’re excited that this year’s participants will experience THINK in its truest form – an in-person event that curates revolutionary thinking from around the world to ignite transformational change.”

THINK 22 will feature headline speakers from a wide range of backgrounds. Each will share best practices and insights around the continuing theme of “Rethink Everything.” As credit unions emerge from a period of extraordinary change, the movement has an unparalleled opportunity to reimagine everything from digitization to the credit union service model – all in a bid to re-energize efforts to earn primary financial relationships with more members.

 

Ken Kocienda and Sallie Krawcheck First Keynote Speakers Announced for THINK 22

CO-OP is also announcing THINK 22’s first keynote speakers:

Ken Kocienda. Kocienda is Product Architect for Humane, a San Francisco-based start-up company focused on maximizing the user experience with personal technology. From 2001 to 2017, Kocienda was a software engineer and designer at Apple, and he is the author of the 2019 book, “Creative Selection: Inside Apple’s Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs.”

Sallie Krawcheck. Krawcheck is the CEO and co-founder of Ellevest, a tech-first financial company built by women for women to help women earn more money from their first dollar through to private wealth services. Ellevest has been named at #24 on CNBC’s top 50 “Disruptor” list and #14 on LinkedIn’s 50 “Most Sought-After Startups.” Prior to Ellevest, Krawcheck built a successful career on Wall Street: She was the CEO of Merrill Lynch, Smith Barney, US Trust, Citi Private Bank, Sanford C. Bernstein and CFO for Citigroup.

 

Networking Activities Alongside Exclusive Research, Keynotes and In-Depth Learning

According to Paxson, attendees can expect access to exclusive research, memorable keynote presentations and credit union-specific Power Sprints and Master Classes, as well as rekindled social events that give THINK its can’t-miss quality.

“There has long been a healthy tension between familiarity and newness inside the credit union industry, and THINK works because it nurtures both,” said Paxson. “Networking events honor years-long relationships and inspiring strategy sessions champion a new outlook on the future. We have all missed the specialness that comes from uniting hundreds of credit union hearts and minds in one place, and we are so excited to get back to it.”

CO-OP is committed to meeting the highest safety standards possible. THINK 22 will follow all CDC COVID-19 protocols and location-specific requirements.

For more information and to register immediately, visit https://co-opthink.org.

 

 

About CO-OP Financial Services
CO-OP Financial Services is a payments and financial technology company whose mission is ensuring the success of the credit union movement. CO-OP payments solutions, engagement services and strategic counsel help credit unions optimize member experiences to consistently provide seamless, personalized multi-channel offerings, while delivering secure, sophisticated fraud mitigation service. For more information, visit www.coop.org.

Contact:
Bill Prichard, APR
Director, Public Relations
CO-OP Financial Services
(909) 532-9416
Bill.Prichard@coop.org

 

St. Petersburg, Fla. — (Nov. 15, 2021) — In conjunction with National Recycling Day, recognized on Nov. 15, PSCU – the nation’s premier payments credit union service organization (CUSO) – has announced it is collaborating with CPI Card Group Inc. (Nasdaq: PMTS) to offer cards that reduce first-use plastic by incorporating recycled plastic into the card body.

According to a CPI survey conducted by an independent research firm, 91% of debit and credit cardholders indicate they are concerned about plastic waste in landfills, and 73% of respondents say it is important that their financial institution is environmentally conscious. In the next several months, PSCU will begin providing Owner credit unions with access to the following CPI products:

• CPI’s Earthwise™ upcycled payment card, which is aimed at reducing first-use plastic and reusing plastic waste that might otherwise enter a landfill. The Earthwise™ Recycled PVC card can contain up to 85% upcycled plastic, depending on design.
• CPI’s Second Wave^® payment card is the first payment card featuring a core made with recovered ocean-bound plastic. CPI estimates more than a ton of plastic will be diverted from entering the world’s oceans, waterways and shorelines for every 1 million Second Wave^® payment cards produced.

“Our goal in offering products like Earthwise™ and Second Wave^® is to reduce first-use plastic in payment cards, either by diverting plastic waste from entering the world’s oceans or by using post-industrial plastic that might otherwise have entered a landfill,” said Terra Grantham, vice president of Strategy and ESG of CPI. “We want to lead the payments industry towards reducing first-use plastic in conjunction with delivering a world-class cardholder experience for consumers. With the help of CUSOs like PSCU, we are getting one step closer to driving a meaningful impact towards more eco-focused card products.”

PSCU is working to minimize environmental impact and reduce its carbon footprint where possible. The CUSO’s sustainability efforts include instituting and promoting recycling efforts, reducing consumption, reusing materials and choosing more eco-friendly products, among other initiatives.

“It is clear that financial institutions and their cardholders care about the environment and are looking to partners across the industry for help with adopting the mantra of ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,’” said Cody Banks, vice president of Payment & Fraud Solutions at PSCU. “PSCU is proud to play an active role in helping mitigate the payments industry’s environmental waste, and we look forward to working alongside CPI to provide more eco-focused products to our Owner credit unions and their members.”

 

About PSCU

PSCU, the nation’s premier payments CUSO, supports the success of more than 1,800 financial institutions representing more than 6.9 billion transactions annually. Committed to service excellence and focused on innovation, PSCU’s payment processing, risk management, data and analytics, loyalty programs, digital banking, marketing, strategic consulting and mobile platforms help deliver possibilities and seamless member experiences. Comprehensive, 24/7/365 member support is provided by contact centers located throughout the United States. The origin of PSCU’s model is collaboration and scale, and the company has leveraged its influence on behalf of credit unions and their members for more than 40 years. Today, PSCU provides an end-to-end, competitive advantage that enables credit unions to securely grow and meet evolving consumer demands. For more information, visit pscu.com.