CO-OP is Lead Sponsor of Filene Initiative to Keep Credit Unions at Forefront of Fintech
RANCHO CUCAMONGA, California, and MADISON, Wisconsin (June 30, 2016) – CO-OP Financial Services and Filene Research Institute are announcing an initiative to launch the next Filene Center of Excellence – the Center for Emerging Technology – to provide scholarly, applicable research and education to credit unions on financial technology.
CO-OP Financial Services is the lead sponsor of the Center for Emerging Technology, which will be led by a tenured academic from a leading educational institution. The Research Fellow will be named later this summer.
“The Research Fellow, from a brand name university, will bring exceptional knowledge on technology advances and trends, and will relay the advanced research in a highly accessible way for credit unions,” said Sarah Canepa Bang, EVP, Industry Relations, for CO-OP. “Filene has identified a key need within our movement – to better understand and act upon emerging technology – and we are delighted to be the lead sponsor of this Center of Excellence.”
The Center for Emerging Technology will formally launch later this year and will produce three major research studies and host one colloquium (academic meeting) per year for four years. Planned areas of research include blockchain and bitcoin, user experience and the future of personal financial management.
“It is simply awesome to see CO-OP join Filene in our evolution to help credit unions master the technology they need to empower financial wellness for the hard working people that are their members,” said Mark Meyer, CEO, Filene. “We are looking forward to unveiling our Research Fellow selection and to providing the industry with a steady pipeline of research that will keep them at the forefront of fintech.”
For more information on CO-OP Financial Services, visit www.co-opfs.org, and for more information on Filene visit https://filene.org.
About CO-OP Financial Services
CO-OP Financial Services is a financial technology company that supports 3,500 credit unions and 60 million members by providing a cutting-edge suite of customizable tools and services. The company was the first in its industry to merge purpose, innovation and technology to help credit unions advance the industry mission of people helping people. To learn more visit www.co-opfs.org.
About Filene and Filene’s Centers of Excellence
Filene Research Institute is an independent, consumer finance think and do tank dedicated to scientific and thoughtful analysis about issues affecting the future of credit unions, retail banking and cooperative finance. Filene is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Nearly 2,000 members make the nonprofit’s research, innovation and impact programs possible. Visit www.filene.org or @fileneresearch for more information.
Led by academic thinkers from across North America, Filene’s Centers of Excellence produce unique research and engagement opportunities for Filene members and the credit union system. Designed to address the changing needs of credit unions and their members, the research centers explore critical and emerging topics regarding the future of consumer financial trends to encourage credit unions to think differently and do amazing things to change people’s lives.