In the News

For credit unions, the coming year is less about bold bets and more about disciplined execution—a theme Elizabeth Gujral, director at Cornerstone Advisors, reinforced in a recent interview.

Ron Shevlin: Wall Street shouldn’t buy the story. I believe that laying off 40% of the workforce in one shot is overly aggressive, and the AI impact claim is overstated.

As ranked by the magazine, Shevlin stands out for his exceptional analytical rigor and deep understanding of banking and financial technology trends.

In “The Future of Banking,” DeSanctis will cover the evolution of banking over the next decade, including stablecoins, buy now pay later (BNPL), fintech, and other disruptors that are likely to change the face of banking in the coming years.

Brad Smith, Partner, Cornerstone Advisors, co-presented "Technology’s Impact on Shareholder Value" with Mark DeFazio, President & CEO, Metropolitan Commercial Bank

Consulting firm Cornerstone Advisors recently reported the majority of bank and credit union executives it recently surveyed believe that fraud-related losses will increase in 2026.

Ron Shevlin brings a sharp, analytical and often witty perspective to the industry. As the Chief Research Officer at Cornerstone Advisors, his work focuses on the competitive threats facing US banks.

On Nov. 12, 2025, the U.S. Mint struck its final one-cent coin, effectively ending production without a formal transition plan. What followed, says Mary Wisniewski at Cornerstone Advisors, was a “predictable fiasco”—one that left banks, credit unions, retailers, and consumers scrambling to navigate the operational and reputational consequences of killing a legacy payment rail without building a replacement.

Ron Shevlin, chief research officer at Cornerstone Advisors, explains that tokenized deposits are an efficiency play. Stablecoins, on the other hand, represent a competitive strategy.

The 2026 Cornerstone Advisors annual report further solidifies this point, as surveyed banks listed poor services provided by legacy providers as a top concern. A staggering 52% of banks and 49% of credit unions claimed that legacy systems were the single biggest drag on efficiency.