THE Holiday Coast Credit Union hosted a special visitor earlier this month, the president and CEO of the World Council of Credit Unions.
Dr Brian Branch visited Port Macquarie and Wauchope for three days during a fact-finding visit to Australia, touring the credit union’s branches and also taking in some local attractions.
During his visit, he discussed global issues impacting the ability of credit unions and mutual financial institutions generally to grow capital and to continue to provide alternatives to the banking system.
Dr Branch has worked at the World Council since 1990 and has been engaged in development fieldwork, research and implementation for more than 30 years. He is based in Wisconsin in the US.
The World Council is the leading international trade association and development agency for credit unions. Worldwide, 56,000 credit unions in 101 countries serve 200,000,000 people. The regional and national credit union and financial co-operative associations affiliated with the council represent 57 countries around the globe.
Credit unions are customer-owned financial co-operatives which provide an important alternative to listed banks. Credit unions exist to put their customers first, providing a safe place to save money and access affordable loans.
Dr Branch’s visit was particularly timely, as mid-month credit unions and their communities around the world celebrated International Credit Union Day, an annual event to commemorate the international credit union movement’s impact and achievements.
