Royal Credit Union Bets On Smart Payments Innovation

Royal Credit Union ($5.5B, Eau Claire, WI) isn’t into chasing bells and whistles. It’s focused on being ready when the time is right — and that readiness comes from a deliberate, layered strategy, not a sprint to be first.

“We’re not aiming to deliver every bleeding-edge technology,” says Jeni Brantner, vice president of payments at the 27-branch cooperative that serves approximately 325,000 members in Wisconsin and Minnesota. “But we are absolutely focused on being bleeding-edge aware.”

Brantner, who’s been with Royal for 25 years, describes that approach as “just-in-time” delivery, with deep environmental scanning built into its strategic process.

Instead of deploying tech for tech’s sake, Royal evaluates the why, who, and what of any innovation —  why it matters, who it benefits, and what problem it solves.

“Understanding what is possible lets us think beyond legacy systems to solve real challenges,” Brantner says.

Perception matters, too. Members might not use every new payment channel or app, but they notice whether it’s available.

“Consumers may choose not to use certain technology, but they still form their opinion on your relevance based on whether they could use it,” Brantner says.

In that way, emerging tools become part of brand reputation as much as member experience.

AI plays a growing role here. Royal uses automation to catch fraudulent behavior across channels, including non-monetary transactions like address changes or replacement card requests. This broad view is possible through its risk hub — a network of connected tools that together paint a clearer picture of suspicious activity and helps Royal build toward more proactive fraud management.

“We’re moving away from reactive case management and toward real-time decisioning,” Brantner says. “That includes using cyber data, money movement, and non-fund behaviors all in one ecosystem.”

Stablecoins: Caution, But With Intent

Royal is also closely watching the stablecoin space, with an eye more toward timing and use cases than getting ahead of the pack.

Brantner calls stablecoins “digital cash” pegged to traditional currency, with $1 in reserves backing every $1 issued. That adds stability lacking with Ethereum and Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency. She notes their potential to reshape international remittances by offering a low-cost alternative to wire transfers.

“Stablecoin has an opportunity to disrupt traditional remittance platforms and offer a cost-efficient alternative,” she says.

But Royal isn’t diving in blindly. Brantner lays out several roles a member-owned financial cooperative could play in the stablecoin ecosystem — including issuer, custodian, platform host, or educator — and emphasizes the need for clear-eyed risk assessments in each.

“There are several ways to get involved, but each comes with varying degrees of responsibility,” she says.

Royal builds optionality into its roadmap, placing emerging technologies like stablecoins into a research and analysis phase before moving toward investment or deployment. The roadmap includes financial and competitive analysis as well as prioritization work.

“Just because a technology is on the roadmap doesn’t mean we’ll pursue it immediately,” Brantner says. “It means we’re putting the right thinking in place.”

Brantner says Royal also watches the implications of not moving forward. The risk of inaction isn’t zero, but any action requires thorough assessments to understand technological, operational, reputational, and compliance risks — both for implementing and not implementing, the payments veteran says.

That approach helps Royal avoid extremes, from being too early and getting burned or too late and falling behind. Brantner advises credit unions to seek out partnerships with forward-leaning fintechs, especially those willing to share early roadmaps and work collaboratively through regulatory uncertainty.

“Bring what’s on your mind and let them help solve those challenges,” she says.

Smaller Shops CAN Be Competitive

For credit unions like Royal, competing with banks and fintechs isn’t about having deeper pockets — it’s about having the right partners.

“Partner, partner, partner!” Brantner says. “We must prioritize how we use our resources responsibly. That means we can’t always deploy everything we’d like. But we can deploy smartly.”

Smart deployment starts with working with platform providers that not only share Royal’s values but also are early adopters themselves. Royal looks for open architecture partners that allow for extensibility through APIs and SDKs so it can customize tech, integrate it across platforms, and scale it as needed.

Royal’s strategy balances ambition with sustainability. It’s not about constant reinvention; it’s about staying intentional and agile. Brantner encourages leaders to consider whether a minimum viable product rather than a full-scale build might be enough.

“There are times the MVP serves members well without needing intensive extra investments,” she says.

The time spent understanding emerging technologies, completing analysis, and undertaking risk reviews is not wasted … It enhances your approach to opportunity by introducing thought leadership and guided decision-making, all leading to agility when the market shifts.

To keep up, Royal evaluates new payment rails like RTP, FedNow Service, and same-day ACH by matching use cases to the most cost-effective, low-risk solutions. Brantner advises credit union leaders to deploy solutions in a way that doesn’t requires users to understand which technology they’re using.

This behind-the-scenes efficiency helps smaller institutions remain competitive without adding member-facing complexity. At the same time, Royal uses automation to adjust service levels dynamically based on member risk scoring and relationship performance. That includes evaluating what limits are appropriate and how quickly funds should move.

That same precision behind the scenes extends to how Royal’s leadership plans for what’s next — through a strategic roadmap that aligns innovation with intent. To that end, Brantner advises other leaders to be intentional with their strategic journey, too.

“The time spent understanding emerging technologies, completing analysis, and undertaking risk reviews is not wasted, even when it steers you away from entering a market at this time,” she says. “Instead, it enhances your approach to opportunity by introducing thought leadership and guided decision-making, all leading to agility when the market shifts.”

A Future That Follows A Strategic Roadmap

“When we build a strategic roadmap, we start by including all emerging technologies,” Brantner says. “That doesn’t mean we’ll act on every opportunity right away — or at all. Instead, we map them on our payments roadmap, allowing time for thorough research, competitive analysis, and financial review. This helps us decide not only if a technology is right for us but also when to deploy it and how to prioritize it among other moving pieces.”

As for the future, Royal isn’t betting on a single technology to drive payments forward, but Brantner does think strategy will win.

“The most important capability isn’t tech,” she says. “It’s the ability to build strong partnerships and deploy with agility.”

That’s what positions Royal to not just keep up but to lead when — and where — it counts.