State of credit unions 2025 research report

Credit unions expect stronger impacts from the economy and regulators, but still project confidence for 2025

Compared to prior years, credit unions are more concerned about the economy and regulation — but they still project growth and confidence for 2025.

Wipfli surveyed over 100 C-level executives at credit unions across the U.S. to inform our annual “State of credit unions report.” In this year’s research, credit union leaders shared their top growth strategies, priorities and concerns.

Among the key findings:

• 96% of the credit union leaders we surveyed expect their institutions to grow in the next 12 months.
• 75% said the economy/regulatory environment is a major factor affecting their strategic priorities — up from 49% last year.
• Cybersecurity (including fraud) was the top concern.
• 49% of respondents said fraud is increasing in their institutions, up from 35% last year.
• 76% detected unauthorized access to their networks or data last year.
• 58% said improving digital customer engagement is a top strategy; data analytics/AI was a close second, cited by 57% of respondents.
• 90% of financial institutions use AI-based tools or plan to adopt them in the next 12 months.

Download the full report for more insights, stats and strategies.