Scienaptic AI will host ELEVATE 2026, a dedicated AI conference for the credit union industry, September 16–18 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. The inaugural gathering brings together credit union executives, technology leaders and policy experts to connect lending strategy with technology choices and a practical path to implementation.

As credit unions enter strategic planning season, discussions will focus on decisions leaders can act on: where to invest in lending technology, when to build or partner, how to sequence and fund implementation, and how to bring teams and boards along. Sessions will connect those choices with practical applications in fraud prevention, loan pricing and expanding access to credit.

“AI gives us a chance to understand members better and act on their needs sooner. That is a reason for optimism,” said Pankaj Kulshreshtha, Founder and CEO of Scienaptic AI. “But the responsibility remains ours. We have to choose the right problems, use the right tools and care about the outcome for each member. The purpose is still people helping people.”

Speakers include Tony Boutelle (Origence); Nicholas Hinrichsen (Clutch); Stephen Bohanon (Alkami); John Kolhoff (NASCUS); Phil Goldfeder (American Fintech Council); Patty Corkery (Michigan Credit Union League); Byron Gangnes (economist, University of Hawaii at Manoa and UHERO); Matt Cooper (mentalist); Mark McCoy (Patriot Federal Credit Union); Amanda Marchese (Center Parc Credit Union); Megan Pulliam (MeridianLink); Howard Architzel (Broadview Federal Credit Union); Sumeet Bhalla (PenFed Credit Union); Robyn Mannone (APG Federal Credit Union); Anthony R. Hernandez (Defense Credit Union Council); Brian Howell (ELGA Credit Union); Jeff DeShane (People Driven Credit Union); Chad Williams (GHS Federal Credit Union); Jack Imes (Allied Solutions); Andy Yeoman (SentiLink); Johnny Cole (MIDFLORIDA Credit Union); John Witterschein (FourLeaf Federal Credit Union); Lloyd Vail (CPM Federal Credit Union); Chad Wilcox (Credit Union of Colorado); Lauren Blackiston (Arkansas Federal Credit Union); George Sellitto (WyHy Federal Credit Union); Tracy Kaufman (Wildfire Credit Union); Matt Raison (Advantage One Credit Union); and Shawn Beltz (R-G Federal Credit Union).

“We want ELEVATE to be the place where credit union leaders come together to work through the practical decisions around AI,” said Chandan Pal, Chief Marketing Officer at Scienaptic AI. “Leaders should leave with clearer lending priorities, better questions for their technology partners and an implementation path they can take back to their teams. The value is in what they put into practice after the conference.”

Registration and program details are available on the ELEVATE 2026 registration page.

About Scienaptic AI

Scienaptic AI was founded in 2014, built with the mission to drive financial inclusion at scale through AI-driven credit decisioning. The platform encapsulates a decade of technological innovation, integrating more data into decision-making, leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms, and supplementing them with rigorous risk and fair lending monitoring processes. This enables financial institutions to reach more borrowers- including underbanked and underserved individuals and say “Yes” more often without increasing risk. Scienaptic’s latest innovation, iCUE (Intelligent Credit Underwriting Experience), integrates large language models and agentic AI into the credit decisioning platform, combining predictive intelligence with conversational capability to put humans back at the center of lending.

In September 2024, Scienaptic’s Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) received strategic equity investments from its clients, further strengthening its mission to elevate lending with AI- driven solutions for inclusive loan growth, automation, lifecycle management, and compliance. Today, the CUSO is backed by 17 strategic investors, underscoring Scienaptic’s deep commitment to the core principle of ‘people helping people’. The Scienaptic AI platform plays a vital role in supporting over 150 lenders by enhancing lending accuracy and efficiency.

Scienaptic’s credit decisioning expertise spans financial institutions collectively managing $4 trillion+ in assets. The platform has powered decisions for over $160 billion in loans. It processes over 3 million credit decisions each month, evaluating loan applications worth more than $4 billion. This enables over 1.7 million underserved individuals every month to access credit opportunities that were previously out of reach. Driven by the growing demand for AI in lending, the company has expanded by over 2,000% in the past three years.

Scienaptic has been recognized among the most innovative and fastest-growing companies in financial technology. The company was named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list for 2025 and was included in the CB Insights Fintech 100 list of the most promising fintech companies shaping the future of financial services.

For more information, visit www.scienaptic.ai.

Media gallery

About The Author
Business Wire