Mary Wisniewski says she is glad to return to the Reseda Summit and enjoys being there partly because she grew up in Michigan. She says it is meaningful to see a fintech scene in the area where she grew up.

Asked what credit unions can gain from attending, she says they can come away with new ideas, possible technology options, and valuable networking. She says meeting people can challenge them to try new approaches and help them find tools that fit their needs.

She discusses topics from her podcast and a questionnaire project called “Yours in Finance,” where she asks industry people the same seven questions. One of the questions is how they define a bank, which she says is a useful lens for examining tensions in the industry and the arrival of new competitors.

On where the industry is headed, she says her hope is that it becomes better for consumers. She mentions simpler accounts and financial insights that people can actually use to improve their financial situation.

She says companies from other countries continue trying to enter the U.S. market, pointing to Nubank as a company to watch and Monzo as an example of an attempt that did not work out. She says the U.S. market is attractive because of its size, but also difficult to navigate.

Her main technology advice to credit unions is to try ideas rather than avoid them out of fear of failure. She says organizations should test ideas that could benefit members or consumers, even if they are uncertain about the outcome.