At Finovate, Gaynor sweetened that pot by introducing what Malauzai called smart web apps, which are designed to let institutions bypass Internet banking and its expense. Instead, members using a desktop or laptop access a mobile banking platform that, Gaynor said, would be so good members wouldn't miss Internet banking.

Significant cost savings would be the benefit to credit unions that go this route, Gaynor said.

For more member loyalty, the loudestpitch came from Larky, a Michigan company with backing from Filene Research. The firm promised to deliver targeted discount offers at point of sale that would save participating members $1,000 or more per year, Co-founder Andrew Bank said.

Bank pegged the cost to smaller credit unions at perhaps eight to 12 cents per member, per month. Larger credit unions would pay less, he said.

To collect their discounts, members would use debit and credit cards issued by the institution, meaning there would be interchange income to offset those costs.

Members would receive smartphone alerts whenever they are near a participating merchant.

Larky, Bank said, would enroll the merchants and said it would be receptive to suggestions from credit unions of which merchants to recruit.

Bank claimed several credit unions already are signed up, naming the $325 million Christian Financial Credit Union in Roseville, Mich.

Read more: Expect another big card breach in a few weeks …

Rippleshot, a cloud-based breach detection startup, came to Finovate with bad news. Within a few weeks, CTO Lucas Ward predicted, consumers will hear of new credit card breaches that rival Target and Home Depot.

How does Rippleshot know? It uses its own big data analytics to monitor fraud reports. The upshot is that the firm can often know when a breach occurred before the victim discloses it; perhaps, even before the victim knows it. That would let card issuers who are Rippleshot customers take early, informed actions, thus reducing losses.

Still more security is the promise of BioCatch, an Israeli security company that demonstrated the unique ways in which consumers interact with their devices: They swipe distinctively, click a mouse uniquely and so forth. The BioCatch promise is that it can study a user, note the user's interaction style, use that info to confirm users and spot fraudsters.

Digital infrastructure company Hoyos Labs, based in New York and founded by tech innovator Hector Hoyos who presented at Finovate, attacked security in a different way. On stage, Hoyos demonstrated how he signed into multiple bank accounts by delivering biometric readings via a smartphone. Facial, fingerprint and iris readings were all sent off in seconds and Hoyos logged in.

Except when he tried to trick security by using a video of himself. To the naked eye, the video seemed little different than real life; but, Hoyos showed, the system was smart enough to bar its doors when he tried to enter via video. 

The upshot, Hoyos said, is that the end of passwords, PINs and usernames will soon become a reality.