This year’s Strategic Summit kicked off at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa, nestled on 405 acres of the Texas Hill Country – the perfect backdrop to get lost in thought leadership. Over 200 credit union leaders from across the country gathered for three days of high-level insight, strategic networking and memorable evening events. But being “lost” did not mean being directionless; it meant stepping away from the daily routine and diving deep into opportunity where market outlooks, strategy and innovation came together for an unforgettable experience.
Sessions delivered the substance one expects from Catalyst: economic context for ALM-based decision making, instant payment readiness for credit unions, cybersecurity and risk management insights, plus, leadership sessions that helped reinforce the importance of strategy and execution. However, Summit was not all suits and slides – the evenings brought fun, community and connection.
The blend of daytime strategy and evening activities built momentum for 2026 planning. Attendees participated in sessions that facilitated meaningful engagement with credit union leaders. They acquired actionable strategies and insights, enabling them to return to their organizations with a strengthened sense of purpose.
Markets and balance sheet
Sessions addressed how to adapt portfolios amidst rate uncertainty, optimize liquidity and leverage derivatives thoughtfully. Steven Houle, Catalyst VP of Asset Management, presented a well-received keynote session on the outlook the credit union industry.
“If we do see lower-term yields, prepare yourself. We’ve got to be nimble,” Houle said. “If rates fall and activity picks up, will you have the liquidity and staff resources to manage a fast-moving environment?”
The takeaway: thoughtful execution beats speculation when the macro backdrop is shifting.
Payment readiness
Summit placed strong emphasis on digital payment transformation; from the importance of the payment user experience to the evolution of instant payments, credit unions learned how to move from talk to launch. Glenn Wheeler, Catalyst VP of Payments Products and Innovation, moderated a five-person panel on digital payment transformation. Wheeler asked Dan Gonzales, VP of Customer Relations at the Federal Reserve Financial Services, about what is happening in payments and why it is relevant to credit unions. Gonzales explained the importance of exposing your members to the faster payments experience.
“The one thing I will leave you with is this – your members are not going to walk into the credit union or call you up specifically and say, ‘I want FedNow or RTP.’ They want the experience,” Gonzales emphasized.
Risk and resilience
On the cybersecurity front, Summit did not skip the hard truth: roughly 70% of credit unions have suffered a cyber incident this year, and 80% of financial institutions have had an AI-related security event. Former Defense Intelligence Agency Cyber Deputy Division Chief, Tyler Cohen-Wood highlighted that “agentic AI” now attacks, pivots and evades systems – meaning the old perimeter doesn’t exist anymore.
What does that mean in practice? A zero-trust model is no longer optional: “Anything coming into your organization is not trusted until it proves it is trusted.” Her counterpart, Jordan Riek, highlighted that in 2024 alone more than 1,000 cyber incidents were reported to the regulator – “that’s one-in-four credit unions.”
The overall message: you cannot assume resilience because you have insurance or checklists. The weakest link is often your people, your vendors, or both.
Key insights for your team
Use the momentum from Strategic Summit to help refresh your 2026 roadmap: integrate instant-payments checkpoints, leverage board-level cyber metrics and implement balance-sheet triggers into your timeline. It is evident that leading credit unions distinguish themselves not only by obtaining valuable insights but also by demonstrating the initiative to implement them effectively.
Stay tuned for details on the 2026 Catalyst Strategic Summit. Visit catalystcorp.org/summit or keep an eye on Catalyst’s Vision newsletter for more information. Not already receiving Vision? Subscribe today.