Central 1 Credit Union (Central 1) and Intellect Design Arena Ltd. (Intellect) today announced the signing of an agreement in which Intellect will assume responsibility for Central 1’s digital banking operations, following Central 1’s decision to wind down its digital banking offerings, announced in October 2024.

Under the agreement, Central 1’s Forge, MemberDirect, public website and mobile applications and product, along with digital banking engineering and service teams will be transferred to Intellect. Central 1 will continue to provide the technology infrastructure and related services under the agreement.

To ensure continuity for clients, Central 1 team members who support digital banking will join the Intellect team to operate Central 1’s digital banking software, and support clients as they transition to new digital banking platforms.

The transaction remains subject to closing, which is expected to occur in the coming weeks.

“We are confident that Intellect and the transferring Central 1 team members will provide a strong and stable path for our clients as they transition to new digital banking platforms. Our discussions and work with the Intellect team through this process have demonstrated their deep care for clients and their commitment to serving our members and clients long into the future. We look forward to continued collaboration with the Intellect Design team in the months ahead,” said Sheila Vokey, CEO of Central 1.

“Intellect has partnered with leading financial institutions in Canada and globally for more than three decades. This strategic agreement reinforces Intellect’s commitment to Canadian credit unions and banks. We take the responsibility of ensuring a seamless and reliable wind down of Forge and MemberDirect with utmost seriousness and look forward to welcoming the talented team members from Central 1, who we know will bring invaluable expertise in serving Canadian credit unions and banks,” said Rajesh Saxena, CEO of Intellect Global Consumer Banking. “Beyond this agreement, our eMACH.ai Digital Engagement platform, built on First Principles Thinking, provides further opportunities to collaborate with credit unions and banks, and reimagine digital banking experiences.”

Intellect is a multi-product enterprise-grade fintech company with an extensive financial services footprint in Canada and globally. The company offers Canada-ready software products specifically to credit unions and banks. Intellect’s digital banking offering includes all of the functionality offered by Forge for retail, SME, and commercial clients, as well as other features not currently provided by Central 1.