Ralph Kaiser

Many community banks launch credit card issuing programs with agent bank providers because they seem like the simple option. But that simplicity comes with trade-offs: 1. Low revenue 2. Limited control over your program or product design 3. Weak customer relationships There’s a better option. Owning a credit card program enables community banks to profit more, leverage local knowledge, win customer loyalty, launch quickly, and compete with big issuers in the market. 💡 You don’t need to build an issuing platform from scratch or settle for handing your customers over to an agent bank. Learn more about owning your issuing program in our new blog: https://lnkd.in/gtmZUDXF #communitybanking #creditcards #communitybank #issuing

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Sierra Central Credit Union, a financial institution operating 20 branches across Northern California, has chosen Lumin Digital to modernise its digital banking infrastructure. 📰Cameron Emanuel-Burns reports ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ej3FhiU7 #BankingTech

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ACH vs. Real-Time Payments vs. OCT/AFT: What’s the Difference? The #Payments ecosystem offers various methods for moving money. Let’s compare three critical systems and their unique advantages: 1️⃣ ACH Transfers: Speed: Typically processed in batches, taking 1-3 business days (or same-day for Same Day ACH). Cost: Low fees make it great for payroll, bill payments, and recurring transactions. Use Case: Ideal for everyday transfers like direct deposits and business-to-business payments. 2️⃣ Real-Time Payments (RTP): Speed: Instantaneous—funds are moved and settled in seconds, 24/7. Cost: Generally higher than ACH but lower than wire transfers. Use Case: Perfect for urgent, high-priority payments like real estate transactions or account-to-account transfers. 3️⃣ OCT (Original Credit Transactions) and AFT (Account Funding Transactions): Speed: Near-instant transfers initiated via payment networks like Visa Direct or Mastercard Send. Cost: Typically higher due to network fees but offer incredible speed and reach. Use Case: Great for payouts like refunds, gig economy payments, and instant cash disbursements. Understanding when to use ACH, RTP, or OCT/AFT can make all the difference in optimizing costs and efficiency in your payment strategy. 🎓 Want to master the nuances of these payment methods? 👉 Get FREE access to our Intro to Payments course at the Payments Academy and learn how these systems power the modern payments industry. Sign up now: https://lnkd.in/eMP95gJa #ACH #RealTimePayments #OCT #AFT #FinTech #DigitalPayments #PaymentsAcademy #ProfessionalDevelopment

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From the Finopotamus Press Room: Desert Financial Credit Union Partners With Alacriti To Unify Instant and Legacy Payments #fintech #creditunions Louis Ierino; Mark G Majeske https://finop.us/s2d7q6

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🚨 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗔 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🚨 If you're a 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱-𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝗧𝗣𝗦𝗣) operating in the ACH space—especially in fintech—now is the time to act. NACHA is tightening its fraud monitoring expectations, and TPSPs are squarely in the spotlight. The 2026 rule changes 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 to detect: ✅ Originators with unusual ACH volumes ✅ Rapid-fire transactions from newly created accounts ✅ Behavior consistent with money mule activity At Unit21, we’re here to help you stay ahead. From customizable rules like: 📌 Flagging new accounts receiving $10K+ in 7 days 📌 Catching 80%+ outflows within 48 hours We make fraud detection and compliance 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭. 🔗 Dive into Nacha's expectations and how Unit21 can help: https://hubs.li/Q03QMSZ00

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Eltropy Launches Unified, Self-Serve Payment System for Credit Unions and Community Banks “Community financial institutions are drowning in vendor relationships and transaction fees,” said Ashish Garg, Co-Founder and CEO of Eltropy. “Our customers were asking for a solution that could handle payments across collections, lending, and account servicing without adding another vendor to their existing stack. As part of the Unified Conversations Platform, Eltropy Payments delivers a fully integrated approach that reduces costs and improves the digital payment experience for consumers.” https://lnkd.in/eBicMw5x Steve Jensen Michael Pupil Laura Chambers Arun Rao Nandita Verma Abhishek Tiwari #fintech #finance #banking #paytech #payments #fintechnews #paymentsnews

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Washington Trust has added Clover technology to its business banking solutions, giving merchants more tools to run their business and greater options for accepting credit cards and other digital payments from customers more securely. Businesses can sign up to use Clover’s all-in-one business operating system, which provides products specifically designed to make financial transactions in restaurants, services, and retail settings more convenient for both merchants and customers. Clover gives businesses more choices for how and where they can accept payments, from mobile card readers like Clover Go for on-the-go payments, to countertop systems like Clover Station Duo with dual screens for comprehensive business management. Each varies in portability and functionality, with options for features such as real-time sales report generation, inventory tracking, table management, order routing, and customer feedback. Clover technology is designed to enable PCI-compliant processing through the use of advanced encryption and fraud prevention tools. With Clover, end consumers will be able to use almost any payment method they prefer including credit and debit cards (chip, swipe, tap), contactless mobile wallets (Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay) and a host of online payment options. Most Clover payments deposited into a Washington Trust business checking account will be available to those merchants as early as the next business day. “At Washington Trust, we’re committed to being a true partner to our business customers and supporting their operations by offering innovative technology and valuable tools for money management,” said Washington Trust Chairman and CEO Edward O. “Ned” Handy III. “We want to make it easy for our business customers to process payments and are pleased to offer Clover as part of our comprehensive suite of business banking solutions.” To learn more visit ▶️ https://ow.ly/vCUE50Xv7P5. _______________ What we value is you.® #WashTrust #BusinessBanking #RhodeIsland #iLuvRI #ShopLocalRI

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Catalyst launches the FedNow® Service with Beehive Federal Credit Union – powered by our new Flex Core integration. Real-time payments, real impact.⚡👉 Read more here: https://bit.ly/4gmFk18 #fasterpayments #FedNow #payments #FlexCore

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