Sembrando Sueños con NLCUP: Wellthi
We are grateful to Wellthi for their partnership and support of the NLCUP 2026 Conference. Guided by a mission to help people build wealth better, together, Wellthi brings a global, people-centered lens to the credit union movement. Their work at the intersection of diaspora banking, remittances, and financial goal-setting helps credit unions deepen relationships and expand opportunity for members whose financial lives extend beyond borders. This approach closely aligns with NLCUP’s commitment to advancing financial inclusion, community empowerment, and leadership within the Latino credit union community.
Below, the Wellthi team shares how Sembrando Sueños shapes their work and their vision for a more connected and inclusive financial future.
Intro & Mission
Wellthi’s company mission is to help people build wealth better, together. Wellthi is a fintech company headquartered in Virginia that was founded by Fonta Gilliam, a former U.S. Diplomat and Management Consultant with 15 years of development finance experience working in the US, Africa, and Asia. Our signature product is a Diaspora Banking companion and global remittance wallet designed to help credit unions deepen member loyalty and lifetime value (LTV) beyond the branch for members who send money abroad. Members use Wellthi to help them set, track, and manage their financial goals with peers and trusted experts inside their mobile banking app.
What dreams or goals is your organization currently “planting” in the community?
At Wellthi, we are building a global community of savers, senders, and financial institutions where no one is left behind due to geography, citizenship, financial status, or legacy systems. We believe that vision starts with credit unions. Historically, credit unions have been the bedrock for communities with shared financial goals and aspirations. Wellthi aims to seed that rich legacy by empowering credit unions with the Diaspora banking, remittance, and cross-border payments innovation needed to expand their impact globally as a leader in global payments.
We are bridging a network of financial institutions in the Americas and Africa to customer communities that build wealth collaboratively and support loved ones abroad through safe, transparent, and value-driven digital banking experiences so that sending money isn’t the end of the story, but the beginning of long-term financial growth.
When you think about "Sembrando Sueños", what does that phrase mean to your organization?
To Wellthi, “Sembrando Sueños” (Planting Dreams) represents the journey from remittance to empowerment. Each transfer, savings goal, or investment plan on our platform is a seed of possibility, one that can grow into education, business ownership, or intergenerational wealth.
In partnership with credit unions, we see ourselves as cultivators of these dreams, helping people transform financial support into shared prosperity, while giving institutions the tools to nurture those relationships sustainably and impactfully.
What changes or trends do you see shaping the credit union industry that we should all be paying attention to?
The credit union industry is being reshaped by global and technological shifts that emphasize transformation over transactions. With over a billion people transferring $860 billion annually across borders, members increasingly want tools that help them build wealth, not just send money. Credit unions have an opportunity to evolve from traditional remittance facilitators into relationship-driven financial partners by integrating AI-powered, mobile-first solutions that connect payments to savings, investment, and long-term financial goals. As cross-border banking grows, collaboration with fintechs, telcos, and wealth platforms will be key to turning remittances into assets under management and creating deeper, more inclusive financial ecosystems that serve globally connected communities.
What leaders or movements inspire your approach to financial inclusion?
We are inspired by movements and institutions that have long championed equity, access, and community empowerment—including:
The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) and NLCUP networks advance inclusive growth.
Visionaries across history who built financial empowerment from community—leaders who turned financial systems into engines for dignity and opportunity.
What lessons have you learned that could inspire future leaders in credit unions and community finance, especially those serving underserved communities?
The greatest lesson we’ve learned is that trust is the most valuable currency in finance. Digital tools are powerful, but they must be rooted in understanding, empathy, and shared purpose.
Through our partnerships with community credit unions and banks, we’ve seen that financial inclusion grows when institutions design for people, not just for profit. Leaders of the future must balance technology with humanity—leveraging innovation to remove barriers, not replace relationships
What do you hope attendees will walk away with from this year’s conference?
We hope attendees leave with a renewed conviction that Diaspora Banking is a collective dream worth planting and scaling. Wellthi wants every credit union leader to see that they can be the bridge between communities in the United States and abroad by embracing global payments innovation, collaboration with financial institutions, and purpose-driven partnerships.
When we plant dreams together, we don’t just move money—we move futures. And that’s what “Sembrando Sueños” is all about.
This conversation is part of NLCUP’s Sembrando Sueños series, which highlights the leaders and partners shaping the future of cooperative finance through community, inclusion, and shared purpose. These reflections help set the tone for the conversations taking place at the NLCUP 2026 Conference, where credit union professionals and allies come together to learn, connect, and build what comes next.