PARC Street Group is delighted to announce the expansion of its suite of executive offerings with the launch of two new divisions designed to address the growing demand for exceptional leadership within the credit union industry: PARC Executive Recruiting and PARC Mentoring & Performance.

PARC Executive Recruiting will connect credit unions with transformative C-suite leaders who can drive growth, innovation, and member-focused success. As a division of the “radically responsive” PARC Street Group, the new firm’s methodology sets it apart, emphasizing speed, precision, and a personalized partnership with credit unions to identify and secure leaders who align with their mission and values. Early clients have praised the division’s ability to deliver results with unmatched agility and insight.

“Credit unions operate in a dynamic environment where leadership can make or break their ability to serve members and compete effectively,” says Tim Strandquist, Executive Search and Benefits Consultant at PARC Street Partners and head of the new division. “This division launch evolved out of feedback from clients and industry executives that they are looking for responsive consultants and rapid searches without sacrificing the quality or cultural fit credit unions need to thrive. We’re not just filling roles; we’re shaping the future of credit union leadership.”

PARC Mentoring & Performance will build a new generation of bold, visionary credit union leaders who accelerate transformational growth, redefine financial services, and elevate the industry through innovation, collaboration, and a relentless commitment to their members and communities. To do this, the new division will leverage such tools as mentorship with the most successful credit union executives in the industry, AI-driven training, and bespoke strategic learning opportunities.

“PARC Mentoring & Performance addresses the growing demand for transformational leaders in the credit union sector,” says Kirk Kordeleski, Executive Mentor & Benefits Consultant with PARC Street Partners and head of the new division. “PARC Mentoring & Performance will help established and emerging leaders elevate the floor for their organizations and the members they serve through personalized mentorship; quarterly one-on-one coaching; a CEO preparation curriculum covering key topics like leadership, strategy, artificial intelligence, and fintech; workshops and roundtables; and specialized training.”

Chris Jones says the new divisions stand on PARC Street Group’s long belief in credit unions and the importance of the work they do for their members.

“The launches of PARC Executive Recruiting and PARC Mentoring & Performance underscore PARC Street Group’s dedication to empowering credit unions with the leadership required to positively transform themselves in an ever-changing marketplace,” says Jones, partner in PARC Street Group and senior executive benefits consultant with PARC Street Partners. “We want all credit unions to thrive. These two new PARC divisions will help them expertly navigate regulatory challenges, embrace digital transformation, and enhance member experiences.”

​Union Credit, a marketplace that enables credit unions to present firm, one-click credit offers at the point of purchase, announced today that pre-approved offers from its more than 50 credit union partners are now presented in Experian’s mobile app. 
 
Union Credit’s marketplace connects credit unions with creditworthy consumers by integrating loans into their everyday retail and financial activities. The Experian app offers many financial resources to free and paid members including access to consumers’ Experian credit report, FICO® Score[ii], credit monitoring, an auto insurance and credit card marketplace, and more. 
 
Now, Experian’s more than 70 million members can browse and accept rates, terms, and offers from credit unions, at their convenience on Experian’s mobile app. Consumers gain a trusted option for responsible, competitive financing; credit unions can effectively compete alongside traditional banks and fintech lenders like never before.
 
“We are focused on responsible, targeted growth that furthers our organizational aim of providing members with services that match their needs,” said Brett Christensen, chief lending officer at America First Credit Union. “Being able to match personalized, responsible offers through a variety of marketplaces — including Experian via Union Credit — is something we expect will provide a great deal of value for members and America First Credit Union over time.”
 
“We are always looking for new, effective ways to provide the tools and knowledge that customers need for financial success,” said Rakesh Patel, Executive Vice President, Experian Consumer Services Marketplace at Experian. “Presenting credit union offers into our app will help expand access to affordable financing while strengthening the connection between consumers and local credit unions. We’re driving financial inclusion while supporting institutions that prioritize community-focused lending.”
 
“This marks an exciting milestone for credit unions. They’ll have a direct presence in an app used by many consumers, many of whom may not have previously considered credit union financing,” said Dave Buerger, co-founder and CEO of Union Credit. “Credit unions can continue to grow and attract new, eligible borrowers, while consumers gain more control and transparency over their financing.”

The highly experienced executive benefits and compensation consultants from PARC Street Partners and PARC Compensation Consulting will share their expertise and demonstrate their commitment to radical service during America’s Credit Unions’ Governmental Affairs Conference March 2-6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Visit our growing team at booth #428 and at Mike Lawson’s CU Broadcast studio, where we are a sponsor.

PARC Street has added three people already this year and now boasts more than 180 years of combined experience working with the unique needs of credit unions and their leaders. On Jan. 2, PARC Street announced the addition of Jen Morgan to its compensation team, led by J.P. O’Connor. On Jan. 8, PARC Street announced the addition of Uma Zielinski and Jason Berman as its newest executive benefits consultants. This move made the executive benefits team, led by Chris Jones and Bruce Smith, nine strong.

The PARC Street team is dedicated to radical service, along the lines of the “unreasonable hospitality” that restaurateur and author Will Guidara will speak about during a GAC keynote. Eleven years after Guidara took the helm of Eleven Madison Park, a struggling two-star brasserie that had never quite lived up to its majestic room, the restaurant was named the best restaurant in the world.

Guidara pulled off this unprecedented transformation through radical reinvention, a true partnership between the kitchen and the dining room—and memorable, over-the-top, bespoke hospitality. For example, Guidara’s team surprised a family who had never seen snow with a magical sledding trip to Central Park after their dinner; they filled a private dining room with sand, complete with mai-tais and beach chairs, to console a couple with a canceled vacation.

The PARC Street team likewise prides itself on delighting its executive benefits and compensation customers. While we’re necessarily exceptionally good at math and compliance, we also feel the magic in what we do as we serve credit unions, their leaders and their members—and we share that with our clients.

“We love credit unions, the people that lead them and the people that do business with them,” says Chris Jones, a partner in PARC Street Group. “That’s why we leverage our deep experience with executive benefits and compensation to help credit unions Plan, Attract, Retain and Compensate their key people. Drop by our booth (#428) at GAC and experience our commitment to radical responsiveness. You will witness how our team members work together to respond rapidly and knowledgeably to any inquiry—whether your question is about the realities of executive benefit and compensation today or why our plans are among the most resilient to market conditions of any in the industry.”

Visit our growing team at in booth #428 and at Mike Lawson’s CU Broadcast studio, where we are a sponsor.

​Glia, the leader in customer interaction technology for high-trust sectors, today announced the findings of a new industry survey, shedding light on the evolving challenges and opportunities facing today’s contact center teams across banking, credit unions, insurance and more. 
 
The original research reveals an industry hungry to move past traditional Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) technology. Unveiled as the “Glia Difference,” the initiative showcases how Glia’s Unified Interaction Management (UIM) platform is transforming customer experiences and solving the biggest pain points across digital and voice interactions today. 
 
Based on responses from leaders and executives in banking, credit unions and insurance, the survey finds that:

1. More than two-thirds (69%) feel contact center technology isn’t meeting expectations.
2. Nearly one-third (31%) rank long hold times and unresolved calls as top frustrations.
3. 93% are evaluating new technology solutions, while only 5% love their current call center technology.
4. 91% see customer experience as the starting point for AI, yet uncertainty persists around implementation.
5. Over 50% face staffing challenges and high turnover.

 
“Industrywide, isolated customer interactions and siloed data are creating major pain and frustration. Clearly, legacy contact center technology, including CCaaS, is failing to keep up with today’s customer expectations and the needs of those who work with contact centers — agents, managers and executives,” said Dan Michaeli, CEO and co-founder of Glia. “Glia offers the industry a next-gen, AI-ready platform that is built, priced and delivered differently than legacy contact center technology. It’s why our customers feel an immediate impact — and breathe a sigh of relief — when they partner with Glia.”
 
The Glia Difference is built on three core elements: a visionary ChannelLess® philosophy and approach to voice and digital interactions that ushers contact centers into the AI era, customer-first pricing options with unlimited seats and minutes, and an emphasis on security and compliance for high-trust sectors. Already, customers that have upgraded from legacy contact center technology have benefited from the Glia Difference, driving efficiencies and improving the customer experience at the same time: 

• Reduced Handle Times and Increased Efficiency: Granite Credit Union launched Glia’s Manager and Agent AI tools to streamline call center operations, resulting in 1,400 hours of manual agent work saved and a 25% decrease in average handle times, all while maintaining a 4.7 out of 5 digital member satisfaction rate.
• Expanded Self-Service Options Through AI and Automation: Silver State Schools Credit Union harnessed Glia’s phone virtual assistants to handle routine member interactions without live support, resulting in a two-minute reduction in average handle time, an estimated $41,600 in cost savings per month and a 59% reduction in average wait time.
• Increased Customer Engagement and Retention: Listerhill Credit Union improved member engagement with self-service options to convert more online loan applications, increasing mortgage lending by $2 million with a conversion rate of 12% (compared to the industry average of 3%), all while maintaining a 4.75 out of 5 customer satisfaction score.

 
Harnessing UIM for all digital and voice customer interactions, Glia breaks the mold of traditional contact center technology. Specifically, the Glia Difference comprises six attributes:

1. ChannelLess® Architecture: While 69% feel contact center technology isn’t meeting expectations, Glia’s ChannelLess® architecture unifies all interactions — voice and digital — for seamless, personalized and effortless experiences. 
2. AI for All™: With 91% seeing customer experience as an AI priority, uncertainty persists around implementation. Glia’s AI for All™ streamlines workflows by empowering all contact center stakeholders: customers get fast answers wherever and however they prefer to interact, agents enjoy AI-assisted tools to make their jobs easier, and managers and executives receive lightning-fast contact center reporting and insights at their fingertips. 
3. Priceless Pricing™: While legacy vendors often burden buyers with seat- and minute-based fees, complex contracts and hidden costs, Glia’s Priceless Pricing™ and packaging rewards efficiency and eliminates nickel-and-diming.
4. Purpose-Built for High-Trust Businesses: Financial institutions can’t afford to gamble when it comes to minimizing risk, which is why Glia is designed to meet the security and compliance requirements critical to high-trust sectors.
5. Wrote the Book on Digital Interactions: When legacy vendors treat digital as an afterthought, institutions must patch together disconnected systems, leading to inconsistent digital experiences. Glia leads the industry in digital customer service, delivering rich, modern digital interactions alongside traditional voice channels.
6. Uncommonly Great Partner: While only 5% love their current technology and 93% are evaluating new solutions soon, Glia’s high Net Promoter Score of 73, compared to the industry average of 18, underscores the company’s status as a trusted, customer-centric partner.

 
“Today’s customers in high-trust environments demand seamless, effortless experiences — interactions like those powered by Glia every day,” Michaeli said. “From optimizing efficiency to reducing costs to scaling operations, Glia streamlines workflows across digital and voice channels, reducing manual inefficiencies and delivering personalized interactions that drive trusted customer relationships. With the Glia Difference, leaders can transform customer service from a source of business friction to a source of business velocity.”
 
Additional information on the Glia Difference in action will be shared during the company’s free, public webinar “Answering the Call: Heartland Credit Union’s Digital Transformation,” to be held Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. EST. A conversation with Heartland’s VP of Digital Strategy, the webinar will unpack the company’s journey to a more modern, efficient, AI-ready contact center. 

Alkami Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALKT) ("Alkami"), a leading cloud-based digital banking solutions provider for financial institutions in the U.S., today announced that it signed a definitive agreement to acquire Fin Technologies, Inc. ("MANTL") for an enterprise value of $400 million, on a debt free, cash free basis and subject to customary purchase price adjustments, expected to be $7 million. Alkami plans to fund the acquisition with cash of approximately $380 million and restricted stock units issued to continuing MANTL employees with an estimated value of $13 million at transaction closing in replacement for unvested compensatory stock options. 

MANTL is the premier account opening solution that allows financial institutions to acquire commercial, business and retail customers through any channel for virtually any deposit account type. MANTL, combined with Alkami's Digital Banking and Data & Marketing Solutions, creates the industry-leading digital sales and services platform for financial institutions.

MANTL is unique in that it offers a multi-tenant, core-agnostic, single platform that enables financial institutions to support all channels in opening deposit accounts, including in-branch, call center and digital. MANTL automates the account opening process for virtually all deposit account types and roles, and transforms the process across a financial institution's entire operation, including front-, middle-, and back-office. MANTL has 112 financial institution clients live on its platform ranging in size from $80 million to over $20 billion in assets.

Founded in 2016 by Nathaniel Harley and Benjamin Conant, MANTL has helped its clients raise over $31 billion in deposits while saving employees over 350,000 hours through automation and process transformation. Financial institutions that use MANTL experience a median retail account opening time of under five minutes, three times faster than the national benchmark. For business accounts, the median account opening experience is less than 10 minutes compared to an industry average of 3.5 hours. On average, 85% of applications receive an automated decision, vastly improving the efficiency of the financial institution.

With the acquisition of MANTL, Alkami solidifies its position as the de facto digital sales and service platform in the industry, allowing financial institutions to onboard, engage and grow their account base. Alkami is already a leader in engagement.  Its digital banking solution was awarded "Best Banking App" by Tearsheet in 2024, and is the fastest-growing digital banking platform among all U.S. financial institutions.  Alkami also has the premier solution for growth. Its data and marketing capabilities are purpose-built for financial institutions and provide 50,000 descriptive data tags and a dozen AI predictive models trained on analyzing more than 18 billion core transactions to improve cross-selling efforts, increase revenue and reduce churn. MANTL addresses one of the paramount concerns of financial institutions - onboarding new customers with speed, security and ease and deepening share-of-wallet with existing clients.

Alex Shootman, Alkami Chief Executive Officer said, "MANTL is a leader in  account opening, allowing financial institutions to boost deposit growth with a higher application conversion, higher initial funding, and less fraud than competitive alternatives. And, when combined with Alkami's strengths in digital banking and data and marketing, it completes the Alkami Digital Sales & Service Platform, our solution to help financial institutions land and expand the account holder relationship and create competitive advantage."

Shootman continued, "This business combination creates a tremendous opportunity for Alkami to expand market share and generate cross sell within its client base, driving additional revenue growth and enhancing our competitive offering among financial institutions. We are thrilled to welcome the MANTL team to Alkami and look forward to leveraging our collective capabilities to serve financial institutions."

"Since we founded MANTL nine years ago, our mission has remained constant: build technology that creates an equitable banking landscape where community financial institutions can not only survive but thrive," said Nathaniel Harley, MANTL co-founder and Chief Executive Officer. "We are excited to join the Alkami family, a move which sets MANTL on a path to deliver even greater value to our clients and the banking industry at large."

Alkami plans to provide commentary on the acquisition during its fourth quarter 2024 earnings call on February 27, 2025. The completion of the MANTL acquisition remains subject to certain standard conditions, and is expected to close on or before March 31, 2025.

Payfinia and Metallicus have joined forces to provide a framework for embedded instant payments and cryptocurrency services to credit union members across the US.

Metallicus, a blockchain technology specialist, offers Metal Pay, a consumer-facing crypto trading app, and a supporting API for fiat-to-crypto transactions for financial institutions.

The alliance sees Payfinia become a preferred API for Metallicus and payment services partner for its Metal Pay offering.
This integration supports the embedding of instant money movement and crypto services into online and mobile banking platforms.

As a result, credit union members can purchase and sell cryptocurrency, transition between fiat and crypto, and securely manage their digital assets within the same environment as their traditional banking accounts.

The collaboration extends with Payfinia slated to join the Metal Blockchain Banking Innovation Programme, spearheaded by Metallicus, to help financial institutions harness the potential of blockchain technology.

Metallicus director of blockchain for institutions and fintechs Frank Mazza said: “This partnership solidifies Metallicus’ commitment to delivering compliant blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure and innovative money movement solutions for financial institutions.

“By joining forces with Payfinia as one of our preferred API payment services partners, we ensure credit unions have access to secure, regulatory-compliant crypto solutions that meet the evolving needs of their members while maintaining industry competitiveness.”

Payfinia CUSO general managerKeith Riddle said: "We are thrilled to be at the forefront of unique partnerships, as Payfinia’s secure instant payments framework creates a bridge between standard monetary systems and an emerging digital asset framework managed by Metallicus.

“We look forward to collaborating with the Banking Innovation Program participants to accelerate additional use cases that would be enabled through the integration of Payfinia’s Instant Payment Xchange (IPX) platform capabilities and the Metallicus MetalPay API-based framework.”

In December 2024, Metallicus acquired FinTech Bonifii, a CUSO formerly known as 'CULedger'.

The two entities are set to establish a new CUSO, enabling credit unions to leverage blockchain-based products through The Digital Banking Network (TDBN), an open-source blockchain banking protocol developed by Metallicus.
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"Metallicus, Payfinia offer crypto service access to US credit unions" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand.

​Zest AI, a leader in AI lending technology, today announced the launch of LuLu Pulse, the first module of Zest AI’s Lending Intelligence Platform powered by generative AI that is now available for all credit unions. By integrating industry public data and institution-specific data for customization, LuLu Pulse serves as a centralized intelligence hub that consolidates multiple data sources into a single, authoritative platform. Credit unions can access insights to improve their lending operations and credit risk management to make smarter lending decisions. 
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"In an environment where 73 percent of lenders lack effective analytics capabilities, LuLu Pulse emerges as a first-of-its-kind solution that offers financial institutions a streamlined path to deep, customized insights that help them thrive in an increasingly competitive and AI-driven future," said Mike de Vere, CEO at Zest AI. "We've eliminated the technical barriers – decision makers now have the intelligence they didn’t have before to surface impactful insights to improve their lending operations and decisions. By democratizing data access and making curiosity the only limit, teams can uncover creative solutions faster and drive stronger business outcomes. "

Credit unions using LuLu Pulse can utilize generative AI to get insights and forecasting pulled from NCUA Call Reports, HMDA, and economic data for fast benchmarking and in-depth peer analysis tailored to its business. This combination of intelligence enables credit unions to have more sophisticated information to make more informed, faster business decisions that help their organization. With LuLu Pulse, credit unions get access to:

• Industry-Specific Optimization: Purpose-built for lenders, incorporating deep industry data for peer and financial analysis
• Customized Intelligence: Tailored to each institution and allows for unlimited peer groups and prompting
• Transparent AI: Provides complete source logic for all outputs, promoting compliance and trust
• Instant Accessibility: Enables non-technical users to access complex lending insights through natural language queries

"Traditional reporting and analytics processes can take weeks or months to deliver actionable insights," noted Jaynel Christensen, Executive Vice President at Commonwealth Credit Union. “LuLu Pulse transforms this timeline to minutes, giving our team generative AI tools to access the insights we need to enhance our lending decisions and operations. With the help of their data engineers, scientists, and solutions architects, we're able to spend more time focusing on what matters most: our members."

LuLu, the Lending Intelligence Companion was initially launched in February 2024 for select Zest AI customers only. LuLu Pulse is the first module of the LuLu Intelligence Platform that is available to all credit unions – no integrations, data sharing or other Zest AI products are required. For more information, visit LuLu Pulse. LuLu Pulse and the expanded LuLu solution will be available for broader financial institutions by Q2 2025.

Black Dragon Capital℠ (“BDC,” “Black Dragon”) has announced a successful 2024 marked by significant growth for the firm and its portfolio companies. The global firm’s focus on intense operational experience by its investment professionals, deep domain expertise, and focused industry approach has continued to drive interest from an expanded investor base, and success within its portfolio.
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Black Dragon Capital℠ is a multi-phased investment firm focused on advanced technologies in high growth segments that strengthen economic stability within communities. The firm has a unique, operationally led approach which combines deep domain expertise with proven investment success as it works closely with entrepreneurs to build market leading companies. It has a focus on high-potential early stage, and mid-market technology companies in growth sectors disrupted by digitization.

Strengthening the Team and Expanding Offices
Over the past year, Black Dragon Capital℠ added over 20 new key leadership members in its corporate services, One Dragon Services group and early-stage portfolio companies. Its buyout investments hired over 150 talented new team members as they continue to grow and expand.

In its One Dragon Services group, a subsidiary of the firm which represents a team and set of partnerships aimed at helping early-stage companies launch, manage, and grow faster at a lower cost, Black Dragon Capital℠ appointed long time FinTech industry veteran, Nigel Prince, as Chief Operating Officer. The One Dragon Services group provides experienced team members to support early-stage companies with a direct development team, marketing and branding, legal, finance, accounting, and HR services among other areas.

In the corporate services group, the firm has expanded its reporting and finance functions with key appointments and partnerships.

It also added leaders with deep industry expertise to its portfolio, including core banking industry veteran Joe Lockwood as Chief Executive Office of Open Banking Solutions, tenured fintech executive John Weinkowitz as Chief Operating Officer of Veep Software, and payments industry veteran Michelle Bateman, working with PayOnward and other payments investments. The firm also broadened its support for its cloud based digital commerce platform Naveo Commerce by bringing in a new CEO, Jaimie Goldring, a new CFO and new CRO. For its Latin American based digital banking platform, Ladonware, they expanded the leadership team by adding a new CEO, CFO, and CPO. Its Grass Valley portfolio has continued to add to its global footprint, supporting end users in over 100 countries.

“2024 was a great year to join the Black Dragon family, I am delighted to be part of the continued success in 2025!” said Nigel Prince, Chief Operating Officer of One Dragon Services.

The growth of Black Dragon Capital included additional hires in its India and Argentina locations, as well as expansion of additional hires in Orlando, Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Puerto Rico.

Black Dragon Capital℠ Continues Impact Investing
Black Dragon Capital℠ supported eight financing transactions within its portfolio to growth and expansion. Among the financing transactions was Black Dragon’s facilitation of a $220 million strategic financing for Grass Valley, a control investment in this global market leader in Media Technology. The firm leveraged its proprietary Black Dragon Toolkit℠ to boost the performance of this media platform giant Grass Valley, which delivered outstanding growth in 2024 of over 30%.
“Implementing the Black Dragon Toolkit℠ materially accelerated our business transformation, leading to vastly improved financial results which positioned us to complete strategically important refinancing in 2024,” said Jon Wilson, President, Grass Valley.

Driven by its steadfast commitment to the credit union movement, Black Dragon Capital℠ has intensified its focus into addressing the unique needs of that market by appointing recognized figures in financial technology and from community financial institutions to key leadership and advisor roles.

The Black Dragon Capital℠ roster of leaders now includes prominent figures in the credit union space such as: Benson Porter, former CEO of BECU and First Tech Credit Union; Kirk Kordeleski, former CEO of Bethpage Federal Credit Union; and Mark Meyer, President and CEO of Filene Research Institute. These highly regarded financial services leaders, along with other industry experts and Black Dragon Capital℠ leaders, are deeply focused on building financial technology companies that provide the flexibility, cost savings and innovation that Credit Unions and other Community Based Institutions need to compete and win. Also, the firm’s collaborative vision has resulted in a partnership with CU 2.0
who have joined its cause.

Supported Sales and Business Development
Throughout 2024, Black Dragon Capital℠ participated in global roadshows to support our portfolio companies and the industries they serve though speeches, private meetings with industry leaders, and hosted events. Black Dragon team members participated in events in the United States, China, India, the Middle East and Europe. Black Dragon Capital℠ CEO and Founder Louis Hernandez, Jr. was a prominent speaker at several events including BIRTV Beijing in China, Future of Media Forum (FOMEX) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, among other events. He received recognition with the Honorary Exemplary CEO Award for the Media Industry from Digital Studio India during his visit to the country.

The firm was present at major Fintech, Media Technology and digital commerce trade shows. For FinTech they participated in the CUES Symposium, CUNA GAC 2024, TRANSACT, NAFCU, and Money 20/20, where it unveiled new, low-code processing platform Open Banking Solutions. They also hosted a private reception to discuss partnership opportunities with leaders attending the World Credit Union Conference, supporting the power of community globally.

Black Dragon Capital℠ also consistently participated in major media tradeshows such as CABSAT in the United Arab Emirates, Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX) in Saudi Arabia, Broadcast India in India, BIRTV Beijing in China, NAB 2024 in Las Vegas, USA, and IBC 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Finally, the Black Dragon Capital℠ team also attended major retail and ecommerce tradeshows: National Retail Federation (NRF), in New York City, NY, as well as CES in Las Vegas, USA.

“2024 has been a remarkable year for Black Dragon Capital℠ and our portfolio companies. Our unique, operational led approach has continued to deliver positive results, leading to our growth in multiple key areas,” said Louis Hernandez, Jr., CEO and Founder, Black Dragon Capital℠. “The expansion of our One Dragon Services team has allowed us to bring more industry veterans into our portfolio, focused on improving their performance. We are excited to make the most out of this momentum for an even more promising 2025! Our team is working harder than ever to innovate and create solutions for our focus industries.”

For A Bright Future Foundation
Many of the members of the Black Dragon Team also participate in the Louis Hernandez Jr, For A Bright Future Foundation which focuses on the needs of children in underserved communities in education, healthcare, leadership development and the arts. Its unique programs include approximately 20 annual scholarship awards, FinTech and MediaTech labs, the Ambassador leadership program, and contributions to partner children's hospitals. The Foundation is expanding to new locations and cities across the United States.
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As part of its ongoing efforts, For a Bright Future Foundation announced a strategic partnership with GreenAccord Onlus, a non-profit association dedicated to fostering a global commitment to environmental protection across all faiths and backgrounds.

Through this collaboration, both organizations will work to raise awareness about the devastating impact of climate change on underprivileged children while empowering them through education and environmental stewardship. This partnership represents a significant step toward building a sustainable future, ensuring that every child—regardless of their background—has the opportunity to thrive and become a steward of our planet. This partnership deepened the relationship between Black Dragon and Vatican related organizations.