Central 1 Credit Union (Central 1) and Intellect Design Arena Inc., Canada (Intellect) today announced the completion of all necessary closing activities for the operating partnership agreement in which Intellect will assume responsibility for Central 1’s Digital Banking operations.
Effective March 03, 2025, Central 1’s Forge, MemberDirect, Public Website and Mobile Applications and products have been transferred to Intellect. Over 140 employees of Central 1 comprising of digital banking engineers and service team members have joined Intellect to continue seamless operations and support clients as they transition to the new platform. Central 1 will continue to provide technology and infrastructure related services during the transition phase.
With this, Intellect becomes one of the largest technology providers to the Canadian Financial Services Industry, having more than 170 Credit Unions & Banks as clients.
Central 1’s former digital banking clients will now have the opportunity to select from the curated commercial plans for Intellect’s Digital Banking Platform (eMACH.ai Digital Engagement Platform) with specific Canada-Ready out of box bundles for Retail, SMB and Commercial Members.
Intellect offers capabilities equivalent to Forge and further enhancements with new age digital experiences and usability. Incremental features that drive member growth include new member self onboarding, personal finance management and loan origination. The Intellect platform is available as a multi-tenant SaaS offering and is integrated to a rich ecosystem of third-party providers, including banking hosts.
“The Intellect team, which now includes those joining from Central 1, bring a strong
commitment to seamless service and collaboration. We are confident that this approach
provides the most stable path forward for clients and for Central 1 as clients transition
to new digital banking platforms over the next few years,” said Sheila Vokey, President
& CEO, Central 1.
Rajesh Saxena, CEO of Intellect Global Consumer Banking, said, “Intellect has deep
roots in the Canadian technology landscape and so we are pleased to now welcome
Central 1’s team members joining our organization. This reaffirms our deep commitment to our existing customers and the credit union system in Canada. We view our responsibility to operate Forge and other software assets transitioned from Central 1 with utmost seriousness. As trusted financial partners to millions, credit unions are pivotal in fostering economic resilience and community-driven banking. Their ability to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving landscape depends on a strong digital foundation that balances innovation with stability.”
He further added, “With the eMACH.ai Digital Engagement Platform, we empower credit unions and banks with advanced digital engagement capabilities that drive growth and enhance member satisfaction across Retail, SMB and Commercial segments. By significantly expanding our talent pool in Canada, we have gained a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges that credit unions face. This will allow Intellect to provide migration options from Forge that will be safer, faster and significantly lower risk for credit unions while setting them up for future success.”
