Faster payments and AI are now core to member-centric banking. Here’s how credit unions can adopt instant payments safely while using AI to boost trust and growth.
Most credit union CEOs I talk to are wrestling with the same equation: faster payments + higher member expectations + rising fraud = serious risk if you stand still.
That’s why Mark Majeske’s advice hits home:
“Don’t be hesitant about entering the faster payments arena.”
He’s right. Real-time payments aren’t a nice-to-have for 2026 planning sessions. They’re quickly becoming table stakes for member-centric banking, especially as younger members treat money movement like messaging: instant, 24/7, and intuitive. The good news? When you combine faster payments with practical AI, credit unions can deliver that experience and stay safe.
This article builds on the CUInsight Network conversation with Mark Majeske, SVP of Faster Payments at Alacriti, and connects it to a bigger theme in this series: AI for Credit Unions: Member-Centric Banking. We’ll look at how credit unions can approach faster payments, where AI fits in, and what it really takes to compete without bloating budgets or increasing risk.
Why Faster Payments Matter So Much to Member-Centric Banking
Faster payments are now one of the clearest signals of whether a financial institution is truly member-centric.
Members don’t think in terms of “rails” or “settlement.” They think: Did the money get there? Can I see it now? Can I fix it if something goes wrong? When you answer those questions well, trust goes up. When you don’t, members quietly move their primary relationships elsewhere.
Here’s what’s driving urgency:
- Instant expectations: Peer-to-peer apps trained everyone to expect money to move “right now,” not in 1–3 business days.
- Gig and creator economy: More members are living on variable income and need instant wage access and real-time disbursements.
- Competitive pressure: Big banks and fintechs are already live on RTP and FedNow. If your credit union can’t match that experience, your brand feels dated.
This matters for AI as well. If your payments stack is slow or fragmented, your AI tools can’t get accurate, real-time signals about member behavior. Faster payments give you a live data stream that AI can use for:
- Real-time fraud detection
- Proactive financial wellness insights
- Smarter, context-aware member service
Faster payments aren’t just a feature. They’re the infrastructure that makes AI-driven, member-centric banking possible.
Breaking Down the Faster Payments Rails (Without the Jargon)
Most credit unions don’t struggle with why faster payments matter. They struggle with which rails to support and how to integrate them without chaos.
From Mark’s perspective, the right approach is clear: understand your members’ use cases first, then connect to the rails that matter most. Not the other way around.
The Core Rails You Need to Think About
You don’t need every rail on day one, but you do need a roadmap. At a high level, credit unions should be planning around:
- Same Day ACH – Useful for near-real-time needs where true instant settlement isn’t critical.
- RTP (Real-Time Payments) – Instant, credit push payments with rich data. Strong fit for bill pay, B2B, and member-to-member transfers.
- FedNow – The Federal Reserve’s instant payments service. Critical for broad reach across financial institutions over time.
- Card-based push payments – Instant payouts to debit cards, useful for gig workers and disbursements.
The mistake I see? Trying to treat each rail as a separate project with its own logic, rules, and interfaces. That’s a recipe for complexity and stalled initiatives.
Instead, follow the approach Mark advocates: use a single faster-payments hub that abstracts the rails and connects cleanly into your core. That hub becomes the “brain” that decides:
- Which rail to use for a given transaction
- How to route, clear, and settle
- How to normalize data so AI models can actually learn from it
When you pair that with AI-driven analytics, you don’t just move money faster—you start to understand why members move money the way they do.
Integration: Why Faster Payments Don’t Have to Wreck Your Core
Most resistance inside a credit union doesn’t come from strategy. It comes from technology fatigue.
Here’s the thing about faster payments integration: if it feels like a core replacement, you’re talking to the wrong partner.
Mark emphasizes ease of integration for a reason. The practical playbook that works looks like this:
1. Use a Payments Hub, Not Point-to-Point Connections
A modern payments platform sits between your channels (online, mobile, contact center) and your core, then connects to multiple payment rails from there.
Benefits:
- One integration to your core instead of four or five
- Consistent rules for limits, holds, and risk across rails
- A unified data layer for AI models and reporting
2. Start With a Narrow, High-Value Use Case
You don’t need to flip the switch on every instant payment use case at once. Pick one that’s highly visible and controllable, for example:
- Instant credit union–to–credit union transfers between accounts
- Real-time loan disbursement for approved digital loans
- Instant bill pay confirmations for key billers
Then layer AI on top to:
- Flag unusual transaction patterns in real time
- Personalize prompts inside digital banking (“Want to send this instantly for $X?”)
- Predict which members are most likely to adopt faster payments
3. Keep the Member Experience Consistent
Members shouldn’t have to think about which rail they’re using. The experience should feel simple:
- Clear options: “Standard (free)” vs. “Instant (fee or conditions)”
- Instant, plain-language confirmations
- Easy access to transaction details and support
AI-powered virtual assistants can sit on top of this stack to answer questions like:
- “Where’s my payment?”
- “Why did this payment get flagged?”
- “Can I send this instantly instead?”
That’s where faster payments and AI start working together to make your credit union feel modern, not just “upgraded.”
Faster Payments and Fraud: Why a Hybrid, AI-Driven Model Wins
Real-time payments mean real-time fraud. Once the money’s gone, it’s gone. That’s why Mark talks about a hybrid system to protect faster payments—and this is exactly where AI earns its keep.
A strong fraud strategy for faster payments combines three layers:
1. Upfront Controls and Policy
You still need solid, old-school guardrails:
- Transaction limits based on member history and risk
- Velocity checks (how many payments, how fast)
- Device and IP checks
But static rules alone can’t keep up with fraud patterns that change weekly.
2. Real-Time, AI-Based Behavior Monitoring
AI models excel at detecting deviations from normal behavior in real time. For example:
- A member who’s never sent an instant payment suddenly sends three large transfers at 2 a.m.
- A previously dormant account starts making high-risk payments to new recipients.
- Device fingerprints change dramatically right before a high-value transfer.
Instead of just blocking everything suspicious, AI can score risk and trigger step-up actions:
- Extra authentication inside the app
- Quick “Is this you?” confirmation via text or app notification
- Real-time guidance from a virtual assistant
This hybrid model keeps fraud low while avoiding the “false positive hell” that frustrates good members.
3. Post-Event Analytics and Feedback
The fastest way to improve fraud models is to close the loop:
- Feed confirmed fraud cases back into the AI models
- Analyze which scam patterns (like impersonation or romance scams) are trending among your members
- Use those insights to power proactive education and targeted warnings
AI can also spot vulnerable segments—like older members suddenly engaging in unusual transfers—and help your team intervene earlier with outreach.
The reality? Faster payments without AI-backed fraud management is reckless. Faster payments with only rules-based systems is weak. The combination of rules + AI + human review is what resilient credit unions are moving toward.
Member-Centric Design: Faster Payments, AI, and Everyday Life
If you zoom out, faster payments are just one piece of a larger shift: members expect banking to work the way the rest of their digital life works.
Mark emphasizes member-centric applications for a reason. The credit unions that win aren’t the ones with the most features. They’re the ones that use data and AI to make financial life feel:
- Predictable
- Transparent
- Personalized
Here’s how AI and faster payments can support that:
Context-Aware Experiences
When your systems can see payments in real time, AI can:
- Alert a member when a paycheck hits and offer to sweep a portion into savings
- Spot recurring transfers and suggest smarter bill payment options
- Help members avoid overdrafts by predicting upcoming obligations
Smarter Credit Decisions and Disbursement
Real-time payments generate rich behavioral data: how often members pay, to whom, and in what amounts. With the right privacy and governance, AI can:
- Enhance loan decisioning models beyond bureau scores
- Price risk more fairly for thin-file or non-traditional members
- Trigger instant loan funding when approvals are made digitally
Growing Trust Through Transparency
AI doesn’t have to be a black box. Used well, it can increase transparency:
- Explain why a payment was delayed or flagged in simple language
- Show members how certain behaviors affect their eligibility for instant transfers or credit
- Provide real-time, tailored financial wellness tips based on actual transaction patterns
That’s member-centric banking: not more features, but smarter experiences that feel tailored and reliable.
Where Credit Unions Should Start in 2026
For credit union leaders planning budgets and roadmaps for 2026, faster payments and AI shouldn’t live in separate conversations. They’re two sides of the same strategy: use real-time money movement and real-time intelligence to deepen member relationships.
A practical starting roadmap looks like this:
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Clarify member use cases
- Identify the top 3–5 scenarios where instant payments would make a visible difference for your members.
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Choose a payments hub partner
- One connection to your core, multiple rails, with strong AI and fraud capabilities baked in.
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Pilot with strong controls and clear member communication
- Start with a limited segment or use case, monitor results, then expand.
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Layer AI across fraud, service, and insights
- Fraud scoring first, then AI assistants and financial wellness recommendations using your new real-time data.
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Measure member impact, not just transaction volume
- Track adoption, satisfaction, and changes in primary financial institution status.
Credit unions don’t need to outspend big banks to compete. You need to be more focused, more member-aware, and more willing to use AI as a practical tool, not a buzzword.
The institutions that act now will define what “member-centric banking” means in a faster-payments world. The ones that wait will be reacting to someone else’s definition.
So the real question for your next leadership meeting isn’t whether faster payments are coming. They’re already here. The question is: how quickly will your credit union turn real-time payments and AI into a better daily experience for your members?