Mahalo Banking and Larky Announce Expanded Partnership to Boost Account Holder Engagement

Mahalo Banking and Larky Announce Expanded Partnership to Boost Account Holder Engagement
  • Mahalo Banking and Larky have announced an expanded partnership to enhance account holder engagement for Mahalo clients.
  • The partnership will integrate Larky’s nudge platform into Mahalo’s online banking platform.
  • Larky made its Finovate debut in 2014. Mahalo Banking will make its Finovate debut next month at FinovateFall.

An expanded partnership between a pair of Finovate alums is designed to help boost account holder engagement. Mahalo Banking, a banking solution provider for credit unions, and account holder engagement technology company Larky announced this week that they are building on their relationship by integrating Larky’s nudge technology into Mahalo’s online banking platform.

“Our partnership with Larky enables us to offer our credit union clients an invaluable tool for member engagement at a time when the market needs new approaches to nurture and grow depositor relationships,” Mahalo Banking co-founder and COO Denny Howell said.

The integration with Larky’s nudge platform will give account holders notifications about the different product and service offerings from their financial institution. Notifications also alert account holders to contextually relevant information about their branch. Financial institutions benefit from access to analytics and A/B testing to learn how their customer and member engagement programs are working. Mahalo customers will also be able to access Larky’s nudge Score. This solution leverages AI to predict the performance of new push notifications.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Mahalo, opening doors for their clients to harness the power of our nudge platform’s tailored and proactive engagement capabilities,” Larky VP of Growth Scott Brown said. “This reinforced partnership interweaves the unique assets of both organizations, bolstering the digital banking landscape for consumers and fostering expansion for community based financial institutions.”

August has been a busy month for the Ann Arbor, Michigan based company. Larky just reported that Innovations FCU has gone live with its customer engagement platform. And a few days ago, Larky announced a collaboration with credit union technology partner Trellance and Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU). The goal of the partnership is to build a unique, data-centric solution that leverages enhanced, AI-driven segmentation and targeting for MSUFCU. This will enable MSUFCU to create and execute more engaging campaigns to boost tap rates and increase engagement.

Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Larky made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall in 2014.

Mahalo Banking will be making its first Finovate appearance next month at FinovateFall. The company is a Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) that serves as a banking partner for credit unions. The company’s platform features deep integrations into credit union cores to provide robust features sets across all delivery platforms in order to deliver a true omni-channel experience. Mahalo is also unique insofar as its platform features functionality to support customers with cognitive distinctions such as dyslexia, autism, epilepsy, visual impairments, and more.

Like Larky, Mahalo also has been on a furious partnership-making pace this year. Last month, Mahalo announced a partnership with Gerber Federal Credit Union, a Michigan-based financial institution with $225 million in assets. In June, Mahalo teamed up with RiverLand FCU, an FI based in New Orleans with more than $300 million in assets. Also, in May, Mahalo announced new partnerships with two credit unions: ParkView FCU and Rock Valley Credit Union. ParkView FCU is based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and has $350 million in assets. Rock Valley Credit Union is headquartered in Loves, Park, Illinois, and has assets of $150 million.

Mahalo Banking is based in Troy, Michigan. Jim Stickley is CEO.


Photo by Sora Shimazaki

Forward Bank Turns to Larky to Drive Personalization

Forward Bank Turns to Larky to Drive Personalization
  • Customer engagement innovator Larky has teamed up with Wisconsin-based Forward Bank.
  • Courtesy of the partnership, Forward Bank has integrated Larky’s nudge push notifications into its banking app.
  • Nudge provides personalized, timely push notifications and can increase customer engagement by 7x compared to traditional marketing methods.

Larky, a fintech that specializes in helping banks and other financial institutions better engage with their customers and members, has partnered with Wisconsin-based Forward Bank. The institution has deployed Larky’s nudge solution, which delivers personalized, timely push notifications to account holders. The technology is integrated into the FI’s existing mobile banking app and Forward Bank plans to use nudge for a variety of use cases including post-visit surveys, geofenced event announcements, and on-site financial service recommendations, as well as thank you messages to account holders after they opt in to receive nudge notifications. The goal is to help Forward Bank better anticipate customer needs, preferences, and behavior.

“Previously, we reached our account holders through email and direct mail, which presented challenges with timeliness,” Forward Bank VP and Marketing Director Jennifer Sobotta said. “By now delivering nudge notifications that reach account holders more quickly with relevant messages, we hope to strengthen our commitment to them as a trusted financial resource and ultimately strengthen our long-term customer relationships.”

A customer-owned, independent community bank, Forward Bank serves communities in central Wisconsin and nearby areas. Founded in 1919 and headquartered in Marshfield, Forward Bank has more than $930 million in assets and is a major supporter of local businesses, schools, clubs, and sports organizations.

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Larky made its Finovate debut at FinovateFall 2014 in New York. Founded in 2012, Larky enables financial institutions to better engage their customers by leveraging push notifications as a sophisticated marketing tool to promote products and services, popularize financial literacy and financial wellness initiatives, and important branch information and updates. The company says its technology can help financial institutions boost mobile app engagement and generate revenue growth via an engagement rate that is 7x better than traditional marketing strategies.

Larky closed out 2022 with a new partnership announcement, teaming up with Gerber Federal Credit Union to enhance the Michigan-based credit unions digital customer communications. Also last year, Larky announced that its nudge technology has been added to Finastra’s mobile banking platform.

“This collaboration signifies a momentum step forward and reinforces our belief that push notifications are not optional, but rather an integral must-have for financial institutions seeking to successfully compete in today’s digital age and enhance customer engagement,” Larky CEO Gregg Hammerman said when the Finastra integration was announced.

Larky has raised $2.4 million in funding according to Crunchbase. The company’s investors include Michigan Angel Fund and North Coast Technology Investors.


Photo by fauxels

People Driven Credit Union Partners with Larky to Deliver Customized Push Notifications to Members

People Driven Credit Union Partners with Larky to Deliver Customized Push Notifications to Members
  • Customer engagement and communications innovator Larky is partnering with People Driven Credit Union (PDCU).
  • The partnership will enable the Michigan-area credit union to deploy Larky’s nudge platform to send predictive communications and customized push notifications to its members.
  • A Finovate alum since 2014, Larky also recently teamed up with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union, which will also deploy the company’s nudge solution.

People Driven Credit Union (PDCU), a full-service financial institution based in Southfield, Michigan, has teamed up with customer engagement specialist Larky. The credit union will leverage Larky’s nudge solution to send predictive communications to its target audiences. The partnership also will enable PDCU to deploy customizable push notification campaigns to market branch projects and initiatives without requiring additional staff, time, or cost.

Once integrated into a financial institution’s mobile banking app, Larky’s nudge provides lock-screen alerts and/or location-based notifications to guide account holders toward relevant and useful financial information and opportunities such as promotions for loan offers. Larky’s nudge platform enables FIs to create, edit, manage, and deploy tailored, turnkey mobile push notification campaigns based on their specific marketing priorities. The result boosts app engagement and encourages use of the FI’s mobile banking app.

“Today’s credit union member is increasingly digital-first,” People Driven Credit Union VP of Marketing Dave Sullivan said. “They check and use their mobile devices far more than they walk into the branch of a credit union.” Sullivan added that this meant ensuring that PDCU provides a quality member experience via the mobile channel that meets member needs. “Larky’s nudge makes it possible for us to share relevant, timely messages with our members regardless of their location and better support them with choice of product or service as they move throughout their daily lives,” Sullivan said.

People Driven Credit Union was founded in 1928 as Detroit Federal Employees Credit Union. The institution changed its name to Peoples Trust Credit Union in 2005 and, in 2014, merged with Community-Driven Credit Union to become People Driven Credit Union. PDCU currently has assets of more than $342 million and more than 25,000 members in Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties in Michigan.

Larky’s partnership with PDCU comes just a few months after the company announced that Michigan State University Federal Credit Union would deploy Larky’s nudge platform to provide tailored messaging to its 300,000+ members. In beta testing before the launch, Michigan State University FCU has experienced an aggregate tap rate of more than 16% for its nudge messages, with the test’s most successful message – the company’s satisfaction survey – earning a 12% completion rate.

“Mobile will continue to shape the future of banking,” Larky CEO and co-founder Gregg Hammerman said. “Credit union members are accustomed to – and often prefer – leveraging the mobile channel for everything from ordering a cup of coffee to securing flights abroad. This familiarity is also seen in the usage of push notifications, keeping members abreast of a transaction in progress. With the nudge platform, credit unions and other FI leaders can now bring this experience that is widely known and encountered in the retail environment to the banking industry.”

Founded in 2012, Larky is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.


Photo by Uri Espinosa

Personalization and One-to-One Communication

Personalization and One-to-One Communication

Gregg Hammerman has seen first hand what works when it comes to personalization. In fact, in 2012, he launched a company built around the entire premise of personalization.

Hammerman is now CEO of Larky, a mobile engagement platform that enables financial institutions to put the right message on an account holders’ lock screen at the right place and time. However, personalization and push notifications– while effective– can be difficult to implement. Not only do the timing and location have to be perfect, there is a careful balance between messaging and spam. On top of that, privacy is often a top concern for both financial institutions and their end users.

We caught up with Hammerman to tap his expertise on implementing a personalized user experience.

When it comes to personalization in fintech we often hear of sending offers to the right consumer at the right time in the right place. What is the most challenging aspect of this?

Hammerman: It’s critical to make sure that these communications are relevant, meaningful, and helpful to the consumer. We work closely with financial institutions to create experiences that use these communications to make people feel like they are part of a special club.

Three key things make our programs a success. First, we recommend segmenting an audience so you can tailor messaging for a person who has a mortgage, someone who recently purchased a car, a student with a new checking account, and other unique parameters that shape consumer habits. Second, scarcity is a powerful component. Consumers want to know that they have access to something special that isn’t available to everyone. Third, communications need to be fresh. Consumers want to see new messages and new experience opportunities on a regular basis.

What measures does Larky have in place to keep banks from fatiguing their customers with too many alerts and messages?

Hammerman: We work closely with our financial institution clients to give them complete control over how they communicate with their customers. The financial institution is always able to increase or decrease messaging frequency based on what is the best fit for their audience.

From an end-user perspective, account holders can snooze messages, turn off some types of notifications, and more. A lot of this discussion returns to making sure that these communications have high value. If every time I go for an auto repair, my financial institution tells me that I can save $100 because I’m a valued account holder, I’ll never fatigue from that message.

Thinking about geo-targeting, how does Larky balance a user’s privacy with the need to know their physical location?

Hammerman: Larky has been on the forefront of user privacy since our initial solution launched in 2013. We believe that users have the right to access any information that is collected or stored about them, and the right to obtain that information and have it destroyed if desired.

We are in compliance with all regulations from Europe and California. We plan to continue to lead and innovate on privacy. We don’t sell the data that passes through our servers. It’s not part of our business model. We have never and will never share any user information with any third parties.

Aside from knowing a consumer’s location and the best time to send a relevant offer, how else does Larky help banks with personalization?

Hammerman: We’re now working with financial institutions to leverage data from their other systems to help personalize communications. For example, we help improve new account holder onboarding with touchpoints that welcome and educate new clients and help them become more engaged with the financial institution.

We’re able to help financial institutions create campaigns that reach out to only their account holders who have an auto loan, just one account with the financial institution, recently started direct deposit of their paycheck, and much more. We’re finding that partnering with financial institutions to personalize the right message to the right consumer increases the impact of the campaign and includes account holder engagement.

Intuit’s $7 Billion Bid for Credit Karma; FinovateEurope Salutes its Best of Show

Intuit’s $7 Billion Bid for Credit Karma; FinovateEurope Salutes its Best of Show
Photo by Tirachard Kumtanom from Pexels

How’s $7 billion for good karma? One of Finovate’s earliest alums Credit Karma is reportedly the target of what would be Intuit’s biggest acquisition to date. According to The Wall Street Journal, the cash and stock deal could be announced as early as Monday.

Credit Karma will continue to function as an independent company with founder and CEO Kenneth Lin at the helm. The acquisition gives Intuit, maker of online tax filing service TurboTax, another contact point with the online personal finance world. Credit Karma provides its members with access to their credit scores and borrowing histories, helps them monitor their accounts for security breaches and, perhaps most relevantly, has offered a free online tax preparation service since 2017.

If the deal holds up, Intuit will be paying a significant premium for Credit Karma. The personal financial wellness company was last valued at $4 billion, based on a 2018 private market transaction.


With another Finovate conference in the books, our Finovate Best of Show ranks has a new set of members. Congratulations to Dorsum, Glia, Horizn, iProov, Sonect, and W.UP for taking home top honors earlier this month at FinovateEurope!

The victory may have been especially sweet for Sonect, whose Best of Show award-winning demo was also the company’s Finovate debut. The Switzerland-based start-up offers what it calls “the world’s first social cash network” that enables consumers to access cash without having to visit a bank branch or ATM. Sonect offers merchants the ability to grow their business via increased traffic and gives financial institutions a way to extend their ATM networks without the cost of additional hardware.

The Best of Show win was also a first for Horizn. The company, which made its Finovate debut three years ago at FinovateEurope, offers a platform that helps employees and customers maximize the opportunities of digitized financial services. Horizn uses simulator microlearning, as well as gamification and advanced analytics, to promote digital adoption across channels.

And last but not least, a special tip of the hat to Dorsum, Glia, iProov, and W.UP, all of whom won Best of Show honors at FinovateEurope for a second year in a row.


Here’s a round up of recent news from our Finovate alumni.

  • Larky enters reseller agreement with Access Softek.
  • Bison Bank in Lisbon, Portugal selects PSD2-ready software from ndigit.
  • Techround interviews Tradeshift co-founder Mikkel Hippe Brun.
  • Bremer Bank leverages Backbase’s digital-first banking platform to fuel digital transformation.
  • Paysend’s multi-currency global account launches in Europe.
  • Kinetica launches Kinetica Cloud.
  • Futurex taps ISARA to bring quantum-safe cryptography and crypto-agility into its Key Management Enterprise Server (KMES) Series 3.
  • With new FCA license, Meniga seeks to expand product offering.
  • StrategyCorps and Digital Onboarding partner to help banks grow checking account relationships.
  • Baker Hill renews partnership with Washington Trust Bank to streamline loan origination and portfolio risk management.
  • Aire launches Credit Insight Suite to improve access to credit.
  • Coinbase becomes Visa principal to offer more feature for Coinbase Card customers.
  • InComm partners with Eezi to launch Poundland’s gift card program.
  • Enveil secures $10 million in Series A funding for secure data collaboration.
  • Trulioo adds image capture SDK to Trulioo GlobalGateway.
  • Amaiz taps ValidSoft for voice authentication.
  • OurCrowd expands focus on growing early stage tech companies.

Finovate Alum Features and Profiles

eToro’s Evolution – Social trading and investment platform eToro has never been one to stand still for very long. The company’s development cycle is fast enough to make even the most sprightly fintech jealous.

Lending Club Snaps Up Radius Bank for $185 Million – When Lending Club was founded in 2007, the startup aimed to serve as a place to help borrowers avoid dealing with banks. In a somewhat ironic move today, that same startup is becoming a bank itself.

Breach Clarity’s New Offering Provides Consumers Personalized Protection – Fraud detection and prevention company Breach Clarity announced this week it has developed a new platform to help financial service providers offer personalized protection for their customers.

New SumUp Card Empowers SMEs as Business Payment Makers and Takers – The company that has helped bring fintech innovation to e-commerce with its mobile point-of-sale (mPOS), card reading solutions now offers merchants a card of their own.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Investment Firm Takes Minority Stake in OurCrowd.
  • Bill.com’s New Release Targets Midmarket Companies.
  • DriveWealth Teams with Nigerian Trading Platform.
  • Lidya Launches SME Lending Platforms for Poland and Czech Republic.

Around the web

  • CU Broadcast features Larky CEO and Co-founder Gregg Hammerman.
  • eToro partners with The TIE to develop unique sentiment-driven investment strategies for traders.
  • Trustly launches Trustly Live to bring instant cashless payments to land-based casinos and sportsbooks.
  • Home Bank renews relationship with Baker Hill, adding Baker Hill NextGen CECL and Baker Hill NextGen Business Loan Origination.
  • Salt Edge to power PSD2 API for Habib Bank AG Zurich.
  • Chetu earns #3 for dollar growth and #15 for percentage growth at the SFBJ technology awards 2019.
  • Insuritas to power bank-owned insurance agency for Signature Bank of Georgia Partners.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • TSYS Unveils New Authentication Solution
  • Dorsum Builds Wealth Management Platform for BNP Paribas in Poland.

Around the web

  • Plaid discloses role of Visa and Mastercard as strategic investors in its $250 million Series C round from December.
  • iSignthis secures patent from European Patent Office for PSD2, SCA, and KYC.
  • SoFi inks 20-year arrangement for exclusive naming rights for the new Sofi Stadium where National Football League teams the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams play.
  • Payoneer amps up cybersecurity efforts to significantly reduce phishing attempts.
  • Larky launches its nudge code library to bundle geo-location and engagement technology directly into mobile banking apps.
  • Spreedly launches Spreedly 3DS2 to help execute 3DS2-compliant transactions across multi-gateway environments.
  • BNP Paribas Bank Polska to implement Dorsum’s wealth management platform.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • LendingFront, Veridium, Voca.ai Join Mastercard’s Start Path.

Around the web

  • Kinetica releases active analytics platform to simplify architecture and deliver analytical applications at scale
  • Tango Card partners with StatementGames to deliver e-gift cards as a redemption option for StatementGames players.
  • Larky wins big at Finastra’s Innovation Challenge

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Boku Acquires Mobile ID and Authentication Company Danal

Around the web

  • CU Broadcast interviews Larky CEO Gregg Hammerman on what credit union CEOs are prioritizing for their members’ engagement today.
  • IdentityMind protects FIs with virtual currency risk assessment.
  • 32 fintechs graduate from Envestnet | Yodlee’s incubator.
  • Token brings Open Banking to Mena region.
  • Coinbase continues to explore support for new digital assets.
  • The city of Rye, NY partners with Passport to manage parking.
  • Mortgage Cadence integrates Radian’s mortgage insurance service into its Enterprise Lending Center solution.
  • The CX Show interviews SaleMove co-founder and CEO Dan Michaeli about creating contact center leaders.
  • TechCrunch interviews Transferwise cofounder and CEO Kristo Käärman on growing money transfers despite global turbulence.
  • Pendo Systems partners with Azimuth GRC and Global Comply.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Larky Lands Three: Mobile Engagement Platform Adds New CU Partners

Larky Lands Three: Mobile Engagement Platform Adds New CU Partners

Loyalty and engagement platform provider Larky is starting off the fall with a trio of new partnerships. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company announced this week that it has launched three new client programs, teaming up with Canada’s Encompass Credit Union, BayCoast Bank of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and Tulsa-based Oklahoma Central Credit Union.

“With our location-based platform, the audience of a financial institution can receive mobile notifications when they are near a specific location where there is a special offer or the FI wants to promote a specific product or service,” explained Larky CEO Gregg Hammerman. “This encourages local purchasing at the most convenient time for the user, while increasing cross-selling opportunities for the FI.”

Founded in 2012, Larky helps community-based financial institutions engage with their customers in the digital and mobile worlds that are increasingly the channels of choice in both financial services and ecommerce. The company’s engagement platform enables FIs to provide highly-contextual, digital rewards and offers to their members and customers, including community-building discounts to local merchants. The solution also helps firms boost non-interest income, with Larky clients reporting an increase of 4% to 8% in interchange revenue due to increased use of their credit and debit cards.

Larky demonstrated its Android app and white-label mobile and web solutions at FinovateFall 2014. In a busy year of making friends and forging partnerships, Larky teamed up with Fort Dodge Family CU in March, and CFE FCU of Florida in July, helping both credit unions generate more cross-selling opportunities and offer location-based rewards to members. Larky began the year expanding its relationship with core processing solutions provider Sharetec, extending its technology through the latter’s network of credit union customers.

Larky has raised $2.4 million in funding, and includes North Coast Technology Investors, Ann Arbor SPARK, the First Step Fund, and the Michigan Angel Fund among its investors.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • Larky Lands Three: Mobile Engagement Platform Adds New CU Partners.

Around the web

  • Larky launches with Encompass Credit Union (Canada), BayCoast Bank (MA), and Oklahoma Central Credit Union (OK)
  • Insuritas announces partnership to launch digital insurance agency platform for 3Rivers FCU.
  • Fenergo creates new team to further develop and foster its partner ecosystem.
  • First Round Review analyzes Gusto’s brand.
  • Coast to Coast Motors dealership strikes deal with PayNearMe.
  • BlueRush announces partnership with Microsoft Azure.
  • FICO to provide KYC and onboarding solutions for Belarus-based lender, Belgazprombank.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • ACH Alert Reports Record Growth, Stops More than $388 Million in Fraudulent Transactions.
  • Mastercard Teams Up with Worldpay to Launch Pay by Bank in the U.K.

Around the web

  • NetGuardians becomes a certified Avaloq software partner for real-time fraud prevention.
  • Temenos inks multi-year investor servicing contract with Northern Trust.
  • Worldline picks up PISP and AISP licenses from National Bank of Belgium.
  • Enveil earns Standard Technology Partner status in Amazon Web Services partner network.
  • Lleida.net credits new GDPR legislation in the EU for surge in sales for first half of 2018.
  • Equifax acquires specialty credit reporting agency DataX.
  • CFE Federal Credit Union implements Larky’s Engagement Platform.
  • Ledger launches Ledger Live, the all-in-one companion app to your Ledger device.
  • Xero integrates with BBVA’s API Market for small businesses.
  • Lendio expands the Lendio franchise in Rochester, New York.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.