DALLAS—Credit unions have spent years hearing warnings about accelerating disruption, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and rapidly changing member expectations. But according to Tom Davis, the movement’s real story is not that change is coming—it’s that credit unions have already proven they can adapt to it.
In the first day of the EDGE 26 Technology Conference here, Davis, president and CEO of Trellance, delivered a message aimed at reframing how the industry thinks about constant technological and operational upheaval. Rather than portraying change as a threat, Davis argued credit unions have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to absorb major shifts in technology, payments and member behavior while continuing to evolve around member needs.
“We have adapted to continual change,” Davis told attendees gathered for the annual conference, which drew credit union executives, fintech leaders, technology providers and CUSO partners from across the country. “It’s not like we’ve put our hands out and said we don’t want it. It’s not like we’ve fallen to the fear of it. We’ve done a great job of basically saying, ‘We got it.’”
Davis pointed to the speed of transformation over the last several years, noting that artificial intelligence has emerged as a major force in just a short period of time, following similarly disruptive waves involving cloud migration, mobile banking and evolving digital payment behavior. Yet despite those changes, he said the credit union movement has consistently adapted its services, technology and operations to ensure members are not left behind.
That message formed the backdrop for a broader presentation centered on the evolution of Trellance Cooperative Holdings and its expanding role inside the credit union ecosystem.
A Broad CUSO
Throughout his presentation, Davis repeatedly emphasized that Trellance is no longer simply a payments company, analytics provider or traditional CUSO. Instead, he described the organization as a cooperative holding company specifically designed to help credit unions absorb and operationalize change.
“I think maybe we’ve confused the market a little bit,” Davis acknowledged, referring to the company’s rapid transformation over the last several years. He noted many in the industry still associate the organization with its CSCU roots, while others view it primarily through the lens of data analytics following the creation of the Trellance brand. But Davis said the company has evolved far beyond either identity.
Over roughly the last eight years, Davis said the organization has either created or acquired approximately eight to 10 companies while simultaneously restructuring itself into a fully operational holding company model. Much of that work, he explained, occurred behind the scenes over the last year through organizational restructuring, shared-services development and governance changes designed to unify a growing portfolio of companies and capabilities.
At the center of that structure, Davis said, is approximately $550 million in deployable capital that remains owned by the credit union industry itself.
“We are a unicorn,” Davis said, arguing there is little comparable to Trellance’s structure within the cooperative movement. Unlike traditional venture-backed fintech firms or outside investors, Davis said Trellance’s capital base is governed by credit union leaders and intended specifically to strengthen the industry.
“That capital is owned by the credit union industry,” Davis said. “It’s not money from the outside. That makes us unique. This is an asset of the credit union industry.”
Davis outlined what he described as a three-tier organizational model. The first layer centers on holding company governance, leadership and capital deployment. The second consists of operating entities and portfolio companies delivering products and services directly to credit unions. Among those entities Davis referenced were Rising Analytics, ProBridge, Optiri and several minority investments and strategic partnerships.
The third layer—and one Davis suggested has largely operated in the background until recently—is shared services. Davis described that operation as the infrastructure engine supporting not only Trellance’s wholly owned companies, but potentially outside organizations seeking operational scale and efficiency.
According to Davis, Trellance has increasingly begun offering those shared services capabilities beyond its internal portfolio companies, allowing outside organizations to potentially access back-office support, operational infrastructure and strategic resources without requiring direct investment from the holding company itself.
Larger Mission
That broader cooperative support model, Davis said, reflects the organization’s larger mission.
“Our job is to support the credit union industry,” Davis said, explaining the Trellance name itself derives from the word “trellis,” symbolizing support and structure. “Support the adoption of change. Support being able to take those change elements and make them available to credit unions.”
Partnerships also emerged as a major theme throughout the presentation. Davis highlighted relationships with organizations including the Filene Research Institute and Circuit, describing those collaborations as essential to helping credit unions identify emerging trends, shape future-focused strategies and ultimately translate innovation into operational execution.
At several points, Davis described Trellance not simply as a service provider, but as a collaborative platform intended to help the movement scale innovation collectively.
He closed with a broader call to action directed at CUSOs, fintech firms and service providers across the industry, encouraging organizations facing operational, integration or scaling challenges to engage directly with Trellance about potential partnerships, shared-services support or strategic collaboration opportunities.
For Davis, the larger message extended beyond technology itself. The real advantage, he argued, is the movement’s demonstrated ability to continually evolve without abandoning its cooperative foundation.
“We understand change is here and it’s here to stay,” Davis said. “Whatever change comes our way, this industry just digests it and moves on.”