Financial Futures

With its launch and adoption by major financial institutions in 2017, Zelle became the one-size-fits-all P2P payment solution. And with its ability to transfer funds between people conveniently, (and more importantly, cleanly) Zelle saw a massive uptick in users during the global pandemic. In this episode of Financial Futures, we take a look at how attitudes towards P2P payments have changed and why credit unions need to offer digital P2P solutions to their members.

And Al Ko, CEO of the company behind Zelle, Early Warning, shares with us what he thinks the future of P2P and Zelle looks like and how credit unions and their members could stand to benefit from the platform.

Show Notes

Peer-to-peer payment platforms aren't a new concept. In fact, we've had the ability to move money through apps as far back as 2008. But the system was fractured and only adopted by individual institutions or small groups. Now the P2P landscape is unrecognizable from what it once was. Zelle has unified credit unions and banks, offering a one-size-fits-all solution for peer-to-peer payments. And along with technological changes, attitudes towards the platform have changed too, thanks in no small part to the pandemic and people's need to transfer funds cleanly and conveniently.

In this episode, we take a look at how the pandemic has impacted P2P payments and ask what's in store for Zelle and the institutions using it. Al Ko, CEO of the company behind Zelle, Early Warning, says that, at just three years old, Zelle is 'a large toddler', but with over 800 banks and credit unions using its platform already, it's growing fast. Al guides us through the opportunities P2P offers to credit unions and what the future of peer-to-peer payments could look like. We talk about:
  • How the pandemic has prompted credit unions to increase digital engagement through Zelle.
  • Why the nature of transactions made through P2P are changing.
  • How Zelle can help credit unions to remain competitive and relevant.
  • Why credit unions need to offer digital P2P services and why digital members offer more value.
  • What the current trends in the adoption of Zelle indicate about the platform and the technology's future.

What is Financial Futures?

The way we move money is changing. Fast. We want control at the touch of a finger-print. We want to send money in real-time – to the other side of the world. We want everything in one place, integrated, seamless and on our devices. Ubiquitous, embedded, fast, standardized, frictionless and secure. Global finance trends are hurling towards a unanimous conclusion.

These are our Financial Futures.

Each episode, we size up the bleeding edge of fintech innovation and explore the trends that are already transforming the way the world pays, banks and invests across the globe. And the mechanisms we’ll need to prosper in this brave new landscape.

Is the world’s technology up to the challenge? Are we?