Every year, the Filene Research Institute — one of the most respected research and innovation organizations in the credit union movement — convenes credit union leaders to identify and test emerging fintech solutions. In August 2026, nearly 40 credit unions and system partners gathered at the FiLab Symposium in Kansas City. From a field of more than 120 applicants, they selected seven solutions for the 2027 testing cohort.

Kiro was one of them.

What FiLab Is

FiLab is Filene's structured testing program that connects credit unions with emerging technology — not to sell them software, but to test it together, measure outcomes, and share findings across the system. In 2026, more than 250 employees from 27 organizations took part in seven tests. The results and learnings are shared openly with the broader credit union community.

Being selected isn't just recognition — it means Kiro will be piloted inside real credit unions, with real members, in 2027.

Eko with AI, powered by Kiro

Kiro is part of the 2027 cohort as a component of Eko with AI, powered by Kiro — a solution that brings digital investing to credit union members without requiring new infrastructure or additional staff.

Through this integration, Kiro's AI assistant sits alongside Eko's digital investing platform. When a member opens an investment account or checks their portfolio, Kiro is there to offer personalized financial education, explain what they're seeing, and answer the questions they'd otherwise have to call in about. It turns a transactional experience into a guided one.

For credit unions, this means they can offer their members modern investing tools and the financial education to use them well — without hiring new staff to support it.

The 2027 FiLab Cohort

Kiro joins six other solutions that credit unions selected for the 2027 testing cycle:

01
Kiro
Eko with AI, powered by Kiro
Digital investing without new infrastructure or staff. Kiro's AI assistant offers portfolio insights, financial education, and personalized support inside the member experience.
02
Crux Analytics
AI-assisted research and analytics to help credit unions find, connect with, and retain high-potential business members.
03
Falkin
Credit union-branded tools that help members pause before a scam becomes a loss — 24/7 checks on suspicious messages, payments, and investments.
04
KeySavvy
Makes buying a car from a private seller easier for credit union-financed purchases — handling seller verification, payments, title transfers, and DMV registration.
05
Themis
Brings compliance workflows — vendor risk, audits, complaints, marketing reviews — into one place so teams can see what needs attention.
06
Traduality
Helps serve non-English-speaking members in branches, contact centers, financial education, and community outreach through its Fire Lingo platform.
07
Discovery: Financial Well-Being Response System
Explores whether credit unions can spot emerging financial stress and offer support sooner — using consumer research and a synthetic-data sandbox.
Read: Filene Research Institute Read: PR Newswire

What This Means

Credit unions serve over 130 million Americans. They are, by mission, community-first financial institutions — but they often lack the resources to offer the technology their members expect. FiLab exists to close that gap by vetting solutions that can actually work in a credit union environment.

Being selected by credit union leaders — not just accepted into a program — is a meaningful signal. It means the people who know their members best believe Kiro can help them.

Testing begins in 2027. We'll share what we learn.