In this episode of The Digital Banking Podcast, host Josh DeTar spoke with Troy Stang, the president and CEO of GoWest Credit Union Association. The takeaway from this conversation is that credit unions need to work hard to change in some ways and work hard to stay the same in other ways.

Not surprisingly, Stang called on credit unions to embrace digital transformation. Staying at the forefront of financial technology is paramount for any credit union that hopes to survive in the years ahead.

However, the credit union movement was built on the cooperative model, a model that demands credit unions know and understand the unique needs and challenges of their member. A model that demands each credit union knows and understands what makes its members different from the members at every other credit union. A model that demands all credit unions bring that personalized, high-touch feel to the world of digital finance.

As Stang and DeTar make clear, this is what makes credit unions credit unions.