Sembrando Sueños con NLCUP: TruStage
We are grateful to TruStage for their partnership and support of NLCUP and the NLCUP 2026 Conference. Guided by a belief that brighter financial futures should be accessible to everyone, TruStage brings deep experience, data, and purpose to the credit union movement. Their work supporting credit unions with insights, tools, and inclusive strategies helps create the conditions for small businesses, consumers, and entire communities to grow and thrive. This commitment closely aligns with NLCUP’s mission to uplift Latino professionals and advance financial inclusion through leadership, education, and community.
Below, Edgar Hernandez, Principal, Multicultural & DEI Advisory Services at TruStage, shares how Sembrando Sueños comes to life through TruStage’s work and their vision for the future of cooperative finance.
Intro & Mission
At TruStage, we believe a brighter financial future should be accessible to everyone, and we enable more people to make financial decisions that work for them. We are the longest-standing provider of insurance solutions and financial services to credit unions and their members. 39 million consumers are protected through our insurance and financial services products. In addition to this, we also uphold a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through our employee base, credit union partners, and community-based organizations.
What dreams or goals is your organization currently “planting” in the community?
Our team is taking a deeper look at what data and tools we can provide credit unions to better serve small businesses and consumers in their areas. This will increase loans, deposits, and membership for credit unions and support entrepreneurs in their communities to have the funding and financial resources needed to blossom. As a result, this ultimately helps communities flourish and grow economically. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an uptick in small businesses across the country, especially in our multicultural communities. Data shows that small business owners typically get their funding from banks or use their own savings. Credit unions are in a unique position to live into our mission of “people helping people” and build relationships with small businesses to bolster their businesses through a myriad of ways. The data analyses we provide credit unions are ultimately the water to the seeds that credit unions plant in their communities.
When you think about "Sembrando Sueños", what does that phrase mean to your organization?
Our mission as an organization is rooted in making brighter financial futures accessible to everyone. When I think about planting seeds for dreams, it aligns exactly with what we stand for as a company. The products and services we offer through our credit union partnerships are cultivated intentionally to empower consumers and businesses alike to achieve their dreams. We complement those solutions with Multicultural Business & DEI Services offerings, which provide credit unions with rich data and interactive workshops to provide insights on demographic trends in their communities and how they can cultivate inclusive credit union spaces for members. With people at the center of this movement, understanding consumer behaviors and trends while caring for your people is key to unlocking consumers’ dreams all around the country. We provide credit unions with the tools, and they are the ones who help open the doors.
What changes or trends do you see shaping the credit union industry that we should all be paying attention to?
Our data shows many trends that are important to keep an eye on across the nation. However, our multicultural business data specifically shows that our country is becoming younger and more diverse. The Hispanic community is expected to make up the majority of the U.S. population by 2060 – and our next generation of members are growing into Gen Z and eventually, Gen Alpha. If credit unions want to maintain their sustainability as institutions, it's important to understand what drives, motivates and influences the members' financial behaviors that will become the majority in the next few decades. This ranges from cultural norms, spending habits, understanding money “myths” and more. Data is also showing more young consumers are leaning towards online banking – credit unions have the unique opportunity to digitize their approach while maintaining the people-centered approach that our movement is comprised of.
What leaders or movements inspire your approach to financial inclusion?
Organizations like NLCUP, AACUC (African American CU Coalition), Inclusiv, CU Pride, HAPICUP Hawaiian, Asian, Pacific Islander Credit Union Professionals), and NACUC (Native American CU Coalition) are just a few examples of the movements within the credit union space that foster financial inclusion and seek partnerships with like-minded organizations. Each of those leaders and board members spearheading those organizations are an inspiration.
What lessons have you learned that could inspire future leaders in credit unions and community finance, especially those serving underserved communities?
Being committed to the cause is not for the faint of the heart. There are and will be barriers and challenges, and people who may not entirely “get” or understand the importance of building an economy that works for everyone. To prosper as a society, we must move away from thinking it’s a zero-sum game (“If this group wins, this other group loses”) and towards a pluralistic approach where the rising tide lifts all boats. This takes effort, creativity, collaboration, and humility. What worked well in the past might not work well in the future, so we have to check our biases and be willing to try new things. Si se puede!
What do you hope attendees will walk away with from this year’s conference?
Our team hopes that attendees will walk away with a renewed feeling of community y familia, education, tools and resources that empower them to serve the Latino community. Now more than ever, financial education is key to our communities’ long-term success and breaking through generational barriers.
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.