Articles & Discussion
Engaging with the financial services community and bringing thought leadership to the discussion. Insights from some of the smartest people in the industry, conversations Ascent is driving in the media, and more.
Podcast
Dec 24, 2024
35 min listen
Innovation VS the Credit Union Extinction
Special Guest: Shirley Senn, Chief Consulting Officer at CU Strategic Planning
Dec 10, 2024
48 min listen
Empowering Consumers Through Open Banking
Special Guest: Alex Johnson, Founder and host of Fintech Takes and Jason Henrichs, CEO of Alloy Labs & Co-host of Breaking Banks
Nov 26, 2024
32 min listen
Tech Transformation in Community Finance
Special Guest: Kevin Porter, CEO at DxO Advisors.
Nov 12, 2024
30 min listen
How Community Banks are Adapting to Change
Special Guest: DJ Seeterlin, Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer at Chesapeake Bank.
Oct 29, 2024
28 min listen
The Perceived Lack of Innovation in Core Banking
Special Guest: Santo Cannone, Board Chair at Tampa Bay Wave.
Oct 16, 2024
35 min listen
The Fragmentation of Supply Chains in Financial Services with Sarah Howell
Special Guest: Sarah Howell, VP of Partnerships at Visa.
Oct 01, 2024
26 min listen
Innovation for Efficiency
Special Guest: Joe Mancini, Chief Operations Officer at BankProv.
Sep 24, 2024
27 min listen
State of the Rate
Special Guest: Robert Davis, President and CEO at The Bridge Companies LLC.
Sep 17, 2024
35 min listen
The Pros and Cons of FI Consolidation
Special Guest: Elizabeth Osborne, Chief Operations Officer at Great Lakes Credit Union.
Sep 03, 2024
33 min listen
The Importance of Collaboration with CUs and Fintechs
Special Guest: Melissa Pomeroy, EVP, Chief Operating Officer at Cooperative Credit Union Association.
Aug 20, 2024
30 min listen
The Evolving Audit Process: The Impact of Technology on Preparation
Special Guest: Rob Johnson, Chief Audit Officer MSU Federal Credit Union.
Aug 06, 2024
36 min listen
Creating a Culture for both the Institution and the Employee
Special Guest: Steve O'Connell, CEO and President California Credit Union.
Jul 23, 2024
25 min listen
Part 2: Navigating the Evolution of Digital Banking
Special Guest: Bryan Clagett, Advisor at Ascent Platform.
Jul 09, 2024
24 min listen
Part 1: Navigating the Evolution of Digital Banking
Special Guest: Bryan Clagett, Advisor at Ascent Platform.
Jun 25, 2024
31 min listen
Creating a Successful Culture for your Institution and the Individual
Special Guest: Greg Mitchell, President & CEO at First Tech Fed CU.
Jun 12, 2024
28 min listen
The Balance between Technology and Humans with Theron McCollough
Special Guest: Theron McCollough, Managing Director at Citizens Private Bank™.
May 28, 2024
31 min listen
The Applications of AI in the Financial Industry
Special Guest: Alice Stevens, VP of consumer lending, product innovation, and credit analytics at VyStar Credit Union.
May 21, 2024
12 min listen
Bonus Episode
Special Guest: Glen Fossella, Head of Customer at Ascent Platform.
May 13, 2024
35 min listen
Data Access within the Financial State in America
Special Guest: Trish North, who's done it all from financial institutions to fintech in customer success roles.
Articles & Stories
Sep 21, 2024
12 min watch
Co-founders Arjun Sahgal and Allan Boyd sit down with host Mike Lawson at TruStage's FintechSummit 2024
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
Allan Boyd,
COO & Co-Founder
An overview on how Ascent is building the next-generation data platform that provides financial institutions (specifically, credit unions) with the tools and data sources required to service their customers/members...
Sep 24, 2024
7 min watch
Ascent presenting live at Finovate Fall (full video + snippets from transcript)
Glen Fossella,
Head of Customer
For the next 7 minutes, I'm going to ask you to suspend everything you know about upgrading your digital product applications...
Sep 23, 2024
7 min read
Ascent In the News
Fintech Experts Weigh-In on Trends and Innovations Following FinovateFall 2024
Roy Urrico on Finopotamus
Several financial technology industry experts provided Finopotamus with their post-conference observations...
Sep 12, 2024
5 min read | LinkedIn
The CX Revolution: Why Infrastructure is Everything
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
You're at your annual medical checkup, filling out a stack of forms that ask for the same information you've provided year after year...
Jul 25, 2024
9 min read | LinkedIn
Building Trust in Remote Communities: The Future of Banking Relationships
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
We're witnessing a seismic shift in how banks and credit unions connect with their customers...
Jul 12, 2024
6 min read
Podcast Companion
Enabling Customer Outcomes: Success from Data and Collaboration
Trish North (based on Episode 7 of Counting Change Podcast)
Banks and Credit Unions often fall into the solution-shopping trap...
Jul 02, 2024
7 min read | LinkedIn
The Key to Unlocking Banking's Full Potential: An Infrastructure That Puts the Customer First
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
Picture a future where every financial transaction is as seamless as buying a book on Amazon...
Jun 14, 2024
6 min read
Ascent In the News
How data platform Ascent leverages CUSO and corporate VC investors to expand into credit unions.
Zachary Miller on Tearsheet
In a world where capital is a commodity, specialist financial services investors are able to offer something generalist investors can't...
May 28, 2024
6 min read | LinkedIn
Leadership Lessons from the Quiet Genius of Carlo Ancelotti
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
In the high-stakes, high-pressure world of elite sports, leadership takes on an outsized importance...
May 22, 2024
7 min watch | YouTube
Ascent presenting live at Finovate Spring (full video)
Glen Fossella,
Head of Customer
First, Ascent solves the fragmented experience problem by streamlining and simplifying any and all product applications and forms across the institution...
May 14, 2024
7 min read | LinkedIn
Revolutionizing Banking CX: A Blueprint for Empowerment & Efficiency
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
We've all been there. That dreaded moment...
May 06, 2024
7 min read
Navigating the DeepmindField - How to cut through the noise of AI in the media
Drew Lyall,
Head of Tech
Regardless of where you source your news, chances are you will have seen at least a few articles lately about AI...
Apr 30, 2024
6 min read | LinkedIn
The Invisible Form: Reimagining Customer Experiences
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
Whether it's a medical questionnaire, a loan application, or a software registration, the experience is often painfully inefficient and impersonal...
Apr 16, 2024
6 min read | LinkedIn
Burn the Box: Sparking a CX Revolution for Community Banks
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
A clarion call echoes through the halls of credit unions and community banks: It's time to move beyond incremental evolution...
Apr 04, 2024
6 min read | LinkedIn
Massive Untapped Potential: Empowering Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
One in four adults—roughly 61 million Americans—has a disability...
Mar 19, 2024
5 min read | LinkedIn
The Loyalty Imperative: Seizing the Open Banking Moment for Credit Unions & Community Banks
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
“Open Banking” is an imminent disruption coming to the financial services industry...
Mar 05, 2024
5 min read | LinkedIn
Workforce UX Drives Productivity
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
Time and again, I've seen how antiquated software systems hinder their workforce's productivity and ability to innovate...
Feb 27, 2024
5 min read
Empowering Financial Futures
Arjun Sahgal,
CEO & Co-Founder
Feels like we're on the brink of a sea change... but this isn't just about making old processes faster or more user-friendly.
Jan 22, 2024
5 min read
For BaaS Providers: Navigate Regulatory Challenges and Drive Profitable Growth using Ascent
Glen Fossella,
Head of Customer
Jan 21, 2024
5 min read
CFPB Rule 1033: Don't Just Comply - Compete and Win
Glen Fossella,
Head of Customer
The financial services landscape is undergoing a transformative shift with the pending arrival of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's (CFPB) Rule 1033...