As awareness and concern grow about a more complicated legislative environment, Credit Union National Association’s (CUNA) Associate Business Membership (ABM) roster has increased correspondingly. CUNA announces three additional businesses have registered as ABMs.

“CUNA ABM means becoming an official advocate for the credit union movement,” said Michelle Johnson, manager, CUNA Associate Business Membership. “This collaboration amplifies the collective voice advocating for favorable regulations and strategic industry shaping.”

ABM organizations gain valuable perks designed to boost their market impact and credibility. These benefits range from member-priced annual registrations to CUNA events and complimentary digital subscriptions to Credit Union Magazine, to preferred pricing for advertising and exhibit spaces at Governmental Affairs Conference. 

Additionally, ABMs gain privileged access to CUNA's comprehensive training and educational resources, along with timely updates on industry regulations and developments. 

“All these advantages come together to give ABMs a competitive edge, deepening their understanding and engagement with the credit union ecosystem,” said Johnson.

The three businesses joining forces this month to bolster collective advocacy efforts are Visa, Dynamic Edge and Zest AI.

"The dedication of these companies to both the credit union movement and CUNA's advocacy initiatives highlights the increasing awareness of the necessity for a cohesive and potent voice to safeguard and propel the credit union sector forward," said Johnson.

Visa, a world leader in digital payments, facilitates transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories.

“Similar to CUNA, our goal is to help credit unions feel confident they will have the support they need in national and local advocacy efforts and to compete in the ever-changing payments ecosystem,” said Celeste Schwitters, SVP/head of community accounts at Visa. “Together we can scale our efforts and create a greater impact."

Also joining the ABM ranks is Dynamic Edge, an outsourced IT infrastructure and cyber security team for credit unions. For more than 20 years, Dynamic Edge has supported credit unions to realize the highest return on their technology investment.

"We're excited to deepen our commitment and advocacy to credit unions as a CUNA ABM," said Tim Neiman, founder/CEO of Dynamic Edge. "We believe passionately that credit unions -- of all sizes – bring value to their members and communities and we love helping fulfill that mission through the support of credit unions' technology and cyber security.”

Zest AI is the leading AI-automated underwriting technology that offers smart, inclusive, and efficient lending insights to your credit union’s underwriting team. Credit unions of all sizes can access powerful, compliant AI that uses more data and better math to drive faster, more accurate decisions for consumer lending.

“We’re looking to the horizon to more deeply advocate, impact and improve the lives of credit union members,” said Aaron Long, head of client strategy and advisory at Zest AI. “This is at the heart of Zest AI’s core.” 

CUNA, as the strongest advocate for credit unions, believes in the power of collective voices. Each new ABM contributes to the advocacy efforts, deeper relationships and a stronger credit union movement.