The Global Credit Union Podcast World Council of Credit Unions

2023 nominations are now open for a pair of World Council of Credit Unions’ annual awards. The Digital Growth Award recognizes one or more member credit union associations or member credit unions for implementing digital solutions that promote financial inclusion, innovation and scalability.

Diana Cazacu, a financial inclusion and digitalization expert who will serve as a Digital Growth Award judge for the second straight year, explains some of the things she and the other judges will be looking for when they review nominations this spring.

Nominations are also open for the Distinguished Service Award, which World Council has handed out since 1986 to recognize individuals or institutions for outstanding contributions to credit union development outside their home country. World Council Executive Communications Manager Laura Mihm discusses the Distinguished Service Award nomination process and why it is so unique in the credit union industry.

Recipients of both awards will receive complimentary registration to the 2023 World Credit Union Conference in Vancouver, Canada, where the respective awards will be presented.


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After an optimistic start to the year, the global credit union movement was hit with multiple crises, including Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and soaring inflation worldwide. In this final episode of 2022, we look back at how World Council of Credit Unions helped its members navigate those pressures, while still offering education and networking events and managing to boost the livelihoods of vulnerable populations in Ukraine and elsewhere. We also look ahead to 2023 with plans based on a new strategy focused on growing credit union digitalization, climate and sustainability solutions and building resilient livelihoods.  


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We’re focusing on Canada this month through interviews with:

· Jeff Guthrie, President and CEO of the Canadian Credit Union Association(CCUA) and the newest member of World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) Board of Directors.

· Mani Sheppard-Luangkhot, Manager, Financial Access Programs, Assiniboine Credit Union (ACU) in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Jeff Guthrie joins the podcast to discuss both of his roles, which are new in 2022, and how he hopes to bring his expertise in payments to help the global credit union movement. He also discusses CCUA co-hosting the 2023 World Credit Union Conference in his hometown of Vancouver next July.

Mani Sheppard-Luangkhot has one of the coolest and perhaps most impactful jobs in our entire movement. She discusses her role at ACU, which focuses on the financial inclusion of indigenous, migrant and other underserved populations—and why she hopes her interview will inspire more credit unions to add positions like hers.


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Despite year-to-year growth in overall membership and total assets for the global credit union movement, World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) 2021 Statistical Report shows major gaps in key product and service offerings have resulted in different priorities and risk concerns for credit unions in different parts of the world.

As of December 31, 2021, there were a total of 393,871,631 members of 87,914 credit unions worth $3.48 trillion in assets across 118 countries.

Along with providing statistics on members, assets, savings and loans, the 2021 Statistical Report also features first-time data sets on credit union:


Strategic priorities.
Risk Concerns.
Access to various products and services.
Taxation.

On Episode 18 of the Global Credit Union Podcast, we take a deep dive into the data with Steven Rick, Chief Economist for CUNA Mutual Group, and Dalia Mehiar, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Program Manager for World Council. We discuss some the regional differences and disparities, trends and surprises that come out of all those numbers.


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This month’s featured guest is Diana Dykstra, who was just named Chair of World Council of Credit Unions’ Board of Directors in July. A six-year veteran of the WOCCU Board, Dykstra has more than 40 years of experience in leading top organizations in the financial services industry.

She is currently the President and CEO of the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues, and previously served as President and CEO of San Francisco Fire Credit Union and Coasthills Federal Credit Union. During her tenure as Senior Vice President at Golden 1 Credit Union, Diana led her team to develop the prototype of the now successful Credit Union Direct Lending—more commonly known CU Direct.

She joins the Podcast to talk about what leadership means to her, why it is important that World Council now has two women at the top of the organization and how WOCCU can lead the global credit union movement in some key strategic areas.


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The theme for International Credit Union Day 2022 is "Empower Your Financial Future with a Credit Union." 

World Council of Credit Unions is looking forward to celebrating that theme on Thursday, October 20. World Council and Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions are leading the way in asking for credit unions to share their member empowerment stories on ICU Day, while Worldwide Foundation Executive Director Mike Reuter is also leading an Empower Campaign to raise $500,000 the global credit union movement. He joins WOCCU DIrector of Communications Greg Neumann on this episode to discuss that. If you want to learn more about the Empower Campaign, you can email foundation@woccu.org.

Plus, we share an example of one such empowerment story from Ukraine, where a credit union association empowered an employee of one of its member credit unions to improve her safety and financial future. That employee, Oksana Hovorushchenko shares her personal story with us.

To learn more about International Credit Union Day 2022, visit woccu.org/icuday.




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