One Detroit Credit Union serves 13,000 members and holds $62M in assets. Just over a year after launching with equipifi, 68% of its Millennial members and 56% of its Gen Z members who received a qualified offer have used it. Those are exceptional adoption rates, especially as its program delinquency has stayed low despite loan growth.
One Detroit went live with BNPL powered by equipifi just over a year ago, and adoption has been strong ever since, especially among younger members. At Reseda Summit 2026, Kyle Zagunis, Director of Operational Strategy and Innovation at One Detroit, sat down with equipifi's Jazzy Zhu and John San Filippo of Finopotamus to discuss its in-house Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) program's performance.
Kyle said that today, 68% of Millennials and 56% of Gen Z members who received a qualified offer from One Detroit have used its BNPL program. In other words, when One Detroit offers BNPL to its younger members, most of them use it.
Credit unions have long struggled to reach and retain younger generations. The average credit union member is 53, according to McKinsey & Company. In spite of this, One Detroit has successfully used its BNPL program to engage its younger members.
Fintechs are using BNPL to win over younger consumers and then offering them debit cards and more. Kyle sees One Detroit’s existing relationships as the advantage. “We already have that relationship. I think it’s more imperative on us credit unions to make sure that we are staying relevant in that space where so many of our younger members are actively using it.”
As more members use One Detroit’s BNPL loans, Kyle says the program continues to maintain a high-quality loan portfolio.
"We've had really good delinquency levels," Kyle said. "We are happy to see consistent loan growth without the growth in delinquency to match it."
Because the program runs in-house, One Detroit sets the limits and parameters, including on loan amounts and the number of loans per member. Those controls help keep unsecured exposure in check, while still funding BNPL loans in seconds, making it the fastest way for eligible members to borrow at One Detroit.
One Detroit members appreciate the flexibility, convenience, and ease of access that their credit union’s BNPL program offers. Kyle sees members choose BNPL even when they could pay in full, which helps explain why so many eligible members use it.
“I think it’s a very powerful tool for your younger members who say they just got an apartment,” Kyle said. “Do you really want to spend the whole money to buy the couch or for a little bit of interest, are you really okay splitting that up in the four payments to give yourself a little cushion?”
That kind of flexibility gives members a reason to accept an offer beyond covering an unexpected expense.
"Millennials and Gen Z drove BNPL's initial popularity, and they continue to use it because of how well it fits into their everyday budgeting habits," said Jazzy Zhu, SVP of Marketing at equipifi. "An in-house program like One Detroit's meets them where their payment preferences already are, but moves that activity into their credit union's banking app."
The program grew out of a closer look at One Detroit’s card transactions. “The results were pretty stunning,” Kyle said. “I learned that this isn’t something that we would [need to introduce] to our members. This is something that they were already using. On one day, I found, I think it was about five to six percent of our total transactions [were] going to the Klarnas and Affirms.” The finding helped One Detroit decide to offer BNPL inside its existing digital banking experience with the help of equipifi.
For credit unions and community banks considering BNPL, One Detroit's story points to two steps. Start with your own transaction data to see how much BNPL activity is already leaving your institution. Then, after launch, track and grow the percent of eligible account holders using their offers.
As Kyle put it, "Do we want to be left out, or do we want to get in and be able to offer this in a safe environment with the institution that they already trust?"
Curious what BNPL adoption could look like for your account holders? Let's chat.
In a conversation at Reseda Summit 2026 with John San Filippo of TechSolutions4CUs, One Detroit’s Kyle Zagunis and equipifi's Jazzy Zhu discuss One Detroit's first year with BNPL and what's driving its adoption.
Listen to the original conversation on TechSolutions4CUs OTG.