LoanNFT started as an idea in a classroom. Then it grew into a line of thought we couldn’t ignore.

A simple realization: loan participations involve information sharing. Current systems for doing this don’t work well. Blockchain is the right technology for solving this problem.

For too long, the movement of loans across the credit union system has been constrained by fragmented processes and outdated infrastructure. But the future of cooperative finance shouldn’t be limited by the systems of the past. Every system reaches a moment when it must evolve.

That idea brought together an unlikely mix of builders, operators, and believers – people aligned around a shared conviction that credit unions deserve better infrastructure for how capital flows.

At the center of it is Dr. Lamont Black, Founder and CEO of Wide Open Ventures – a venture studio grounded in the belief that the next generation of financial infrastructure should expand access, not restrict it.

Through his role as Fellow for the Credit Union of the Future at Filene Research Institute, the work began to take shape alongside forward-thinking credit unions. Together, we explored how technologies like blockchain and digital assets could move from abstract concepts to practical solutions for real-world problems.

Inside Filene’s FiLab innovation incubator, the idea quickly became something more – an early MVP shaped by credit union leaders willing to roll up their sleeves and build. And that’s when it got exciting. LoanNFT is being built with credit unions and shaped by them.

We’re deeply grateful to the institutions that stepped in early – those who asked hard questions, challenged assumptions, and invested not just capital, but conviction. Their fingerprints are all over this project. Because this is about building something new that will expand access to participations and make it EASY for every credit union to participate.

Together, we are redefining how loan participations work – more efficiently, more transparently, and with greater opportunity for collaboration across the system. But this is just the beginning. The future we see is a shared network. A marketplace shaped by the needs, ideas, and ambitions of the credit unions it serves. A system where liquidity flows more freely, risk is more intelligently distributed, and innovation is something we build together.

We’re here to help write that future.

And if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you are too.