As this year draws to a close it’s time to give thanks and reflect on the achievements and milestones of 2025. As Catalyst president and CEO, I want to express my sincere appreciation for your partnership throughout the year, and I hope you share in our excitement for what the future holds. At Catalyst, we are driven by our unwavering commitment to the success of you, our members and the communities you serve.
As we close out 2025, Catalyst remains on a strong financial footing, supported by solid retained earnings, disciplined operational management and strategic investments that continue to position us for long-term growth. Our nationwide membership base remains one of our greatest strengths, reflected in the ongoing growth of credit unions partnering with Catalyst and the increasing engagement of long-standing members across our solutions.
Driving innovation in payments 
Building on last year’s success, 2025 saw continued momentum in the instant payments space. The adoption of instant payments continues to accelerate – over 1,500 credit unions and banks are now participating in the FedNow® Service – and Catalyst has taken a leading role in bringing many new credit unions onto the instant payment platform over the past few months. Catalyst’s instant payment solutions, across both FedNow and RTP, are operational with many of the industry’s most prominent cores and over a dozen digital banking platforms.
In addition to driving instant payment innovation, Catalyst began offering a new dynamic digital payment platform this year that, through one simple connection, enables a host of payment transaction types. One of those transaction types, our peer-to-peer payment offering, gives credit union members the ability to send funds to virtually anyone across multiple digital wallets and payment rails while our small business disbursements engine, another transaction available through the platform, makes it easy for business members to pay their staff, vendors and more. Additional features allow for instant account funding and business bill payments with many more transaction types in development.
Expanding financial and investment services
Catalyst’s financial services teams continued to deliver critical support to credit unions of all sizes, with notable growth among large, sophisticated institutions seeking advanced analytics and asset management capabilities. Over 20% of credit unions nationwide now depend on Catalyst Asset Management services. Many engage with multiple offerings to enhance balance-sheet resilience and improve risk management.
During the year, Catalyst hit a milestone of placing $4 billion in loan participations, launched a new and improved ALM model and debuted a new bond trading platform incorporating a variety of innovations to help credit unions invest in fixed income securities quickly and safely.
Catalyst supports thousands of credit union professionals nationwide through investment, liquidity and risk-management services. Our Registered Investment Advisor, Broker/Dealer and SimpliCD programs consistently provide trusted, diversified solutions and strong client stewardship.
Championing purposeful giving
Purposeful giving remained central to our 2025 mission. Catalyst team members volunteered throughout the year, supporting community causes and industry initiatives that reflect the credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” Catalyst contributed nearly $500,000 to charitable and industry organizations dedicated to supporting credit unions and the communities they serve. Catalyst also donated almost $100,000 to communities impacted by California wildfires and the central Texas floods. We are proud of this shared impact and the meaningful difference it makes nationwide.
Celebrating excellence and connection
Catalyst continues to make outstanding service a core element of its strategic approach. This year’s member satisfaction survey reflected strong confidence in Catalyst’s service, responsiveness and expertise, resulting in a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 80.2. Bain & Company defines an NPS score above 50 as "excellent" and over 80 as "world class." We remain committed to delivering world-class support and continuously elevating the experience of the credit unions we serve.
This year’s Catalyst Strategic Summit, hosted at the Lost Pines Resort in Austin, Texas, continued to build on the energy and growth of prior years, earning a NPS score of 95. Attendees enjoyed keynote presentations from Kevin O’Leary, Jon Dorenbos, Mary Kelly and more while diving deep on topics from AI in banking to cybersecurity. We look forward to bringing the 2026 Strategic Summit back to Lost Pines in late September.
Thank you from Catalyst
As 2025 comes to a close, we reflect with gratitude on the accomplishments and relationships that shaped this remarkable year. Our members, staff and volunteers remain the heart of Catalyst. Your trust and partnership made this year a success and set the stage for a strong and inspiring 2026. Thank you for being an essential part of the Catalyst family and for allowing us the privilege of supporting you and your members every day.