That’s a wrap on MeridianLink® LIVE! 2026
More than 1,400 attendees gathered in San Diego, California for an unforgettable week at LIVE! 2026—bringing together the people, ideas, and innovations shaping the future of lending and community financial institutions.
From the debut of MeridianLink Intelligence to inspiring keynote sessions, hands-on trainings, strategic discussions, partner collaboration, customer celebrations, and meaningful connections throughout the week, this year’s event reinforced a powerful truth: the future of lending is driven by innovation, strengthened by trust, and made possible through real human connection.
We’ve made it easy to revisit some of this year’s biggest moments with a curated selection of keynote recordings and session presentations available for download.
Keynotes that inspired innovation and action
Larry Katz | Accelerating into 2026
MeridianLink President and CEO Larry Katz welcomed attendees with a look at the strategic priorities, investments, and partnerships driving the company forward and shaping the future of lending. He highlighted MeridianLink’s commitment to Lending Made Human and how it shows up in everything we do, from product innovation to customer impact. He also spoke about the reach of MeridianLink’s credit union and community bank network, and how that work is helping expand access to lending and make financial support more accessible for more people and communities.
Troy Coggiola | Faster to yes
MeridianLink Chief Product & Strategy Officer Troy Coggiola shared the strategy behind MeridianLink’s product innovation and how those investments are helping community financial institutions deliver more meaningful approvals and improve outcomes for borrowers. His keynote highlighted how our lending platform is helping institutions make important life milestones possible for consumers by enabling faster, smarter, and more personalized lending experiences.
MeridianLink Access + MeridianLink Intelligence product demos
The following day, Troy returned to the stage alongside Wes Zauner, VP of Product Management, and JP Kelly, SVP of Mortgage, for live demonstrations of MeridianLink®Access and MeridianLink Intelligence.
Wes walked attendees through a streamlined onboarding experience within the MeridianLink platform, highlighting how institutions can accelerate time to value while delivering a smoother, more intuitive journey that helps consumers stay engaged from the very first interaction.
JP showcased the latest capabilities in MeridianLink Intelligence, Doc Agent for MeridianLink Mortgage, walking attendees through how the AI-powered agent—embedded directly within our lending platform—transforms a historically manual, fragmented document process into a structured, intelligent workflow that keeps files moving with greater speed, clarity, and consistency.
Tony Hawk | Resilience, reinvention, and staying at the top
Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk delivered a standout keynote on resilience, focus, and what it takes to sustain success at the highest level—both personally and professionally. Drawing from his own experiences, he reflected on perseverance, overcoming bullying, and the mental health challenges that can accompany achievement, delivering a message that was equal parts honest, inspiring, and entertaining. We even got to celebrate his birthday together on stage!
Jake Wood | Building high-performance cultures that conquer uncertainty
Jake Wood, Founder and Executive Chairman of Team Rubicon, gave a powerful keynote on leadership, crisis management, and building resilient organizations. He shared lessons from his experience leading teams through uncertainty and high-pressure environments, challenging attendees to become the “one” who drives impact, inspires accountability, and helps organizations navigate change with confidence.
Logan Mohtashami | 2026 housing: Rates, oil, inflation, jobs, AI, the Fed — now what?
HousingWire Lead Analyst and “Chart Daddy” Logan Mohtashami offered a dynamic, data-driven analysis of the housing and mortgage market. He explored the economic forces influencing rates, housing demand, and lending activity, helping attendees better understand what today’s signals could mean for the future of mortgage lending.
Explore sessions by track and download the presentations!
Our breakout sessions and workshops brought together members of the MeridianLink team, customers, partners, and industry experts to share how financial institutions can innovate faster, operate more efficiently, and better serve their communities.
Across every track, attendees walked away with strategies for unlocking digital growth, creating more personalized experiences, and improving efficiency through automation and streamlined workflows across consumer lending, mortgage lending, auto lending, and account opening. Sessions also provided in-depth perspectives on fraud protection, AI-driven lending, digital engagement, home equity strategies, identity verification, credit optimization, and more.
Awards night
Arc Awards
One of the most meaningful moments each year is getting to celebrate our customers who are using MeridianLink solutions to solve complex challenges, move faster, and have a positive impact on the people and communities they serve.
The fourth annual Arc Award winners were selected from a highly competitive pool of nominees, honoring financial institutions who embody our Lending Made Human focus with innovative use cases and a deep commitment to consumer impact.
Check out this year’s winners here.
Customer Choice Awards
During the second annual Customer Choice Awards, our Marketplace partners were recognized for delivering meaningful impact to our customers through seamless integrations with the MeridianLink One platform.
From driving operational efficiency to accelerating decisioning and improving consumer experiences, these partners are helping financial institutions achieve measurable success every day.
Check out this year’s winners here.
Accelerate After Dark Special Event
For our final evening, we wrapped an incredible day aboard the legendary USS Midway—dining and celebrating on the flight deck overlooking San Diego Bay, exploring the ship’s history, stepping into high-energy flight simulators, and enjoying live entertainment.
The night even included a surprise appearance from a Top Gun-inspired guest who had attendees doing double takes throughout the evening.
Thank you
A big thank you to all of our customers, partner sponsors, speakers, and attendees who made MeridianLink LIVE! 2026 such a memorable experience. We can’t wait to do it all again next year in Orlando, FL!
