What Gen Z actually thinks about credit unions, and what to do about it
The path to engaging younger generations and winning over Gen Z with tech-powered values requires a strategic positioning that credit unions are well-suited for. But to earn Gen Z’s loyalty, there are opportunities to close gaps in digital experience and visibility.
Now there’s primary research to help inform those efforts.
The Vertice AI April 2026 Gen Z Panel Research Brief captures findings from a live roundtable of five Gen Z students held during the 3rd Annual Southeast Credit Union Innovation Day at Georgia Tech. The panel—a high school senior, two undergraduates, and two graduate students in finance and fintech—was moderated by Brandee Bickle, SVP of Strategy & Governmental Affairs at Georgia's Own Credit Union . Their perspectives provide a useful lens for shaping conversations around strategic planning and member growth.
Gen Z lumps credit unions with banks
When asked directly whether they see banks and credit unions as distinct institutions, most panelists said no. “Honestly, they are kind of one and the same. I don’t fully understand the difference,” said the high school senior.
That’s not a rejection of what credit unions offer, but an opportunity to increase visibility and awareness.
The brief finds that Gen Z doesn’t divide the financial world into “banks vs. credit unions.” They divide it into “banks,” which they perceive as formal, slow, and institution-centric, and “fintechs,” which they associate with speed, responsiveness, and user design.
By default, credit unions land on the bank side of that divide, no matter how closely their actual model resembles the fintech alternative.
“When I tell [my friends] about this concept of member-based or community-driven, their eyes go wide and they are fascinated. But they do not know how it works because it’s not marketed enough.” — Graduate student in finance
What this reinforces is that the credit union value proposition resonates with Gen Z—when it’s understood. As Mitch Rutledge, CEO of Vertice AI, noted in remarks accompanying the report , community financial institutions need a clearer understanding of Gen Z’s priorities to meaningfully compete with fintechs and neobanks.
Gen Z doesn’t have a primary financial institution—they have a stack
Panelists reported actively using between three and 12 financial apps, with no single institution serving as a financial home base. A typical setup included a bank app for checking, one or two peer-to-peer payment apps, a dedicated investing app, and one or more crypto applications.
“It’s not one app or one financial hub for all transactions. It’s use case basis to be very honest.” — Graduate student in finance
The practical implication: financial engagement is evolving, creating an opportunity for credit unions to earn a valued spot within Gen Z’s existing financial stack by being demonstrably useful for a specific need.
For a deeper look at how to build that case, Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) Chief Engagement Officer Ami Iceman on A CU Seat at the Table outlines their approach to younger members .
Building branches into the digital picture
Most panelists hadn’t visited a branch in two to 15 years. One high school senior carries no physical wallet at all. Apple Pay and a digital ID handle everything, with physical cards sitting unused at home. One graduate student in finance volunteered that he’d forgotten his ATM PIN.
The Georgia Fintech Academy , which supplied several of the panelists, captured an important nuance: one student had to travel to find a branch just to deposit cash. “Digital-first does not mean access is solved,” the academy noted. “It means expectations are higher when physical interaction is required.”
For credit unions investing in branch strategy, the research suggests considering the role branches play within an increasingly digital-first experience.
The trust source to activate: existing members who are parents
Despite Gen Z’s reputation as a self-directed, algorithm-guided generation, panelists consistently cited parents—not influencers, peer reviews, nor digital ads—as the primary source of their financial decisions. One panelist’s banking relationship is tied directly to his family’s institution. Another deferred entirely to her father on financial choices.
“I think the biggest misconception is how important the voice of our parents is in making financial decisions…My opinion was completely deferred to my dad because he’s been alive for so many more years and handles more money.” — Sophomore studying finance
The Georgia Fintech Academy recap stated it plainly: even in a digital-first world, financial behavior is still shaped by habit, trust, and upbringing.
For credit unions, this is a meaningful strategic signal. The existing member base—many of whom are parents of Gen Z consumers—is a prime trust channel. A generational marketing approach that equips those members to make the introduction may outperform any social media or influencer strategy built around reaching Gen Z directly.
Gen Z wants a financial GPS, not a better rearview mirror
When panelists described what they wish their financial apps did, they didn’t ask for a cleaner design or faster onboarding. They asked for tools that anticipate rather than record.
“[I want] something like a financial GPS that could tell me: Look, your insurance bill is coming up, which is X amount, and you’ve already spent 40% more on your food bills. So, this is how you should organize the rest of the month. I do not want somebody to tell me something after I have already done that.” — Graduate student in finance
The Georgia Fintech Academy’s recap distilled the same idea: “Speed is no longer a feature. It is a proxy for trust.”
The brief characterizes current banking apps as largely “rearview-mirror tools.” What Gen Z is asking for is proactive, predictive guidance delivered before problems surface. That’s a product design opportunity—and a mission alignment opportunity for institutions whose cooperative model is explicitly built around member outcomes.
Find out how credit unions are using AI to enhance member experiences , and how others can replicate these examples.
Three things credit unions can act on now
These three findings are a starting point for credit unions to lean into Gen Z needs.
- There is no primary financial institution in Gen Z’s world. The “financial stack” approach opens the door for credit unions to deliver targeted value and enhance the essential role they play in broader financial ecosystem.
- The credit union story resonates—when awareness is there. The member-ownership model lands strongly when it's shared. Increasing visibility is key to more people discovering what makes credit unions distinct.
- Gen Z’s trust architecture is more family-based than most marketing plans reflect. The parents in your existing member base are a high-credibility entry point that can create meaningful pathways to new relationships.
One panelist, a master’s student in fintech, offered a perspective that reinforces the importance of ongoing dialogue: “Granted, you do know your industry through and through. That’s why we come to you. But then it kind of goes deaf when we try to present some innovation or just some ideas.” Alongside that, another panelist noted simply: “You’re lacking the fresh ears on your teams to know how to reach us.”
These observations are an opportunity—and it’s one credit unions are uniquely positioned to solve .
For practical next steps on making that happen, check out this roadmap with three phases to focus on digital transformation .
The brief was produced by Vertice AI, a member growth platform serving credit unions, and the panel was sourced in part through the Georgia Fintech Academy. It is a qualitative study of five participants, not a statistically representative survey, and its findings are best understood as directional signals, ones that align with broader generational trends in financial services and merit serious attention from credit union strategy and marketing teams.
