CEO Update: How to Navigate Big Changes in 2026

There is a brief, yet well-known exchange in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel, The Sun Also Rises, that captures how change happens in life, business, and society:
"How did you go bankrupt?" Bill asked.
"Two ways," Mike said, "Gradually and then suddenly."

Likewise, paradigm shifts do not suddenly happen. They each tend to occur "slowly at first, and then all at once." Malcom Gladwell wrote about this phenomenon in The Tipping Point, which he likened to the moment during an epidemic crisis when a virus reaches critical mass and suddenly spreads very quickly.
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The financial services industry, while traditionally slow to change, is not immune. In fact, there are many changes on the horizon that will change the way Americans save and spend “their own money” in the near future.

1. The adoption of stablecoin and the evolution of payments technology;  
2. The use of artificial intelligence and its implications outside traditional banking pipelines;  
3. The impact of quantum computing amid the ever-increasing threat of cybercrime.

These three trends are only the beginning, and already at our doorstep. Plus, these trends will further converge and accelerate as more of the ongoing $84 trillion generational wealth transfer takes effect.
Over the long term, the very notion of people having “their own money” may be reexamined. It’s plausible that traditional currency could be replaced by alternative systems, such as social credit scores acting as a form of value or access.

The question for credit unions and our business partners is what can be done to adapt to these emerging trends before they become widespread.

This has been the topic I’ve discussed at several credit union events and conferences. The title of my presentation is “Thinking in Black, Grey, and Silver: Leading the Industry in Uncertain Times.” It focuses on how our industry should prepare for uncertainty and “Black Swan” events, anticipate the charge of “Gray Rhinos” for events we can see on the horizon, and identify “Silver Linings” where we can position, capitalize, and move forward.

I believe our industry will experience all three trends in 2026. It will be disruptive and cause even more industry consolidation. Saying otherwise would be chasing rainbows and unicorns.
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However, this disruption is not something we should fear; it is something we should embrace.
In fact, as one of the speakers at the CUES Directors Conference said, “The future does not reward certainty,”   which is another way of saying, “Fortune Favors the Bold.”

If you are interested in learning and shaping the industry's response to these and other future innovations and developments, I invite you to participate in our upcoming CU Unplugged, the industry’s only “un-conference” that seeks to uncover trends and develop industry responses to the onslaught of technological and innovative change. It will be held at the Visa Market Support Center in San Francisco on March 31- April 2, 2026.

Working with the Best Innovation Group, we will present the findings at our Annual Conference in a series of breakouts or from the main stage.

As you make plans for 2026, please put one or both of these events on your calendar. You will not be disappointed!
There is no need for anyone to “go bankrupt,” such as Mike in The Sun Also Rises. Just like there is no reason why your credit union cannot adapt and overcome. It is more about getting to the next inflection point and reassessing our plans from there.

However, time is short, and any more hesitation risks going the way of the buggy whip (i.e., no longer in high demand). That is why DCUC is investing more and improving our conference programming.

Because one thing is guaranteed, the industry will not be the same this time next year. We all have a stake in getting to the next inflection point. Let us know what more DCUC can do to make sure we are all part of the future!