“Can a fully digital credit union grow deposits and loan volume by combining open banking infrastructure with curated lendtech partnerships, without physical branches?”
Alliant Credit Union transitioned from a branch-based to a fully digital-only credit union in 2020, closing all physical locations. This pivot enabled the institution to invest in fintech and lendtech partnerships as a growth strategy, purchasing loans originated by digital lenders in categories such as solar energy, electric vehicles, and home equity. Alliant has leaned into open banking APIs (via Plaid) and modern digital banking infrastructure (Backbase) to cement itself as a digital-first, member-owned financial institution.
Alliant Credit Union's cards run on Visa.
Alliant Credit Union connects to bank accounts through Plaid.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 4 layers in Alliant Credit Union's stack: Card network (Visa); Lending (Auto Loans, Lease Buyout Loans, Recreational Vehicle Loans, Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) and 9 others); Open banking (Plaid); Treasury (Northern Trust (correspondent bank for international wires)).
Alliant Credit Union is headquartered in Chicago, IL (11545 West Touhy Avenue, Chicago, IL 60666).
Get a read on where your own stack stands against Alliant Credit Union and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.