The Global Credit Union Podcast

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) released its 2024 Statistical Report in October and the man who conducted the survey and compiled the data joins Episode 54 of the Global Credit Union Podcast to break down it all down. Thom Belekevich, WOCCU Director of Member Services, discusses the most comprehensive version of the annual Statistical Report to date, which features the traditional data WOCC...

Credit unions have never seen a greater amount of fraud and other cybersecurity threats than they have in 2025. For this month’s episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Efrain Orsini, Jr., Director of Security Operations for SilverSky, a cybersecurity firm that has safeguarded a number of American credit unions for more than 20 years. “EJ”, as he likes to be called, talks about several of those em...

Every business in the world is keeping a close on President Trump's tariffs, and credit unions are no different. But what are the impacts of those tariffs on the global credit union movement? On this episode we dive deep into that question by taking a look at consumer sentiment, inflation and what we can't see coming in the months ahead with Curt Long, Chief Economist and Vice President of Data fo...

This month on Episode 51 of the Global Credit Union Podcast, we feature our first Member Spotlight on Poland's National Association of Co-operative Savings and Credit Unions (NACSCU), by interviewing NACSCU President Rafał Matusiak. Rafal, who is also a member of World Council of Credit Unions' (WOCCU) Board of Directors, describes how WOCCU was very influential in restarting the Polish credit uni...

We preview the 2025 World Credit Union Conference this month on Episode 50 of The Global Credit Union Podcast. Christi Swoboda , WOCCU Director of International Meetings and Events, shares all the you need to know before you arrive in Stockholm, Sweden, and also previews the keynote speakers and major themes being covered at WCUC 2025 from July 14-16.  There will be more sessions focused on advoca...

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) Interim President and CEO Paul Treinen is the featured guest this month. He talks about his vision for moving our organization forward during a time of transition. The WOCCU Board of Directors in April appointed Paul to the temporary leadership position upon the departure of Elissa McCarter LaBorde. Paul is no stranger to WOCCU, having served as its Chief Ope...

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) launched the promotion of International Credit Union Day 2025 in April under the theme “Cooperation for a Prosperous World”. It ties into the United Nations declaring 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives under the theme "Cooperatives Build a Better World." WOCCU Director of Member Services Thom Belekevich joins the podcast to discuss the importance...

World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) President and CEO Elissa McCarter LaBorde returns to the podcast along with Mike Reuter, President of Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU), to discuss WFCU’s Rally the Movement campaign. Since we recorded our last episode, USAID terminated all three of its awards that funded World Council international development projects in seven countries. Rally...

World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) faces a crucial moment in its history. Due to the U.S. freeze on all foreign aid, we have had to stop work on all three of the international development projects we had been implementing on behalf of the U.S. government. That has resulted in reductions for WOCCU’s Global Programs’ staff both overseas and here in the U.S. It has also left our future in interna...

We are excited to launch a new format for The Global Credit Union Podcast in 2025. While you'll still hear interviews with World Council of Credit Unions' (WOCCU) executives and other global credit union leaders on a wide range of topics that are vitally important to our industry, you'll now also get up to date information about what WOCCU and Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) have bee...

The Global Women’s Leadership Network's (GWLN)  2023 Empowerment Grant initiatives supported over 760 individuals in Kenya and Mongolia, increased Kenyan farmers’ incomes by 20% and provided 112 Mongolian credit union leaders with training on sustainable finance, driving economic empowerment and sustainability in rural communities. In this episode, Enkhchimeg Nergui, Partnership Specialist at the...

When the Cayman Islands' Ministry of Finance in August proposed a new $200,000 annual registration fee for the country's only credit union, Cayman Islands Civil Service Association Credit Union (CICSA) Limited CEO Patricia Estwick immediately mobilized employees, board directors and members, while also enlisting assistance from the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU) and World Council...

This month’s episode of the podcast focuses on how technical specialists with World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) Global Programs' teams are growing financial inclusion through credit unions in developing nations. Nearly 20 of the specialists gathered in Washington, D.C. in early October for WOCCU’s annual Project Administrators Workshop, or “PAWS”. You’ll hear from more than a dozen voices wh...

This month on the Global Credit Union Podcast, Michael Lawrence joins us to discuss his new role as Chair of the World Council of Credit Unions' Board of Directors. Lawrence is the Chief Executive Officer of the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA), the industry body for Australia’s credit unions, building societies and mutual banks, a position he's served in since December 2017. He b...

We go back to Ukraine this month to speak with Ewa Sierzynska, Chief of Party for World Council of Credit Unions' new GROW Project, a four-year, $10 million initiative funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that will seek to expand access to finance through credit unions for individuals in Ukraine seeking to start a business, and for existing legal entities looking to...

Leaders from World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) and Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) discuss their efforts to create a theme of unity and togetherness for the 76th anniversary of International Credit Union (ICU) Day® on Thursday, October 17, 2024. WOCCU Director of Member Services Thom Belekevich, WFCU President Mike Reuter and WFCU Philanthropy Manager Marcey Ciaccio discuss the...

Sponsored by Creatio , Episode 38 of The Global Credit Union Podcast gets you ready with everything you need to know for the 2024 World Credit Union Conference in Boston, July 21-24. Christi Swoboda, Director of International Meetings and Events for World Council of Credit Unions, is organizing her 11th World Credit Union Conference, and joins the program to preview what attendees can look forward...

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many credit unions around the world to lose the face-to-face contact they had with members in their branches. That was especially difficult for credit unions without widespread digital capabilities, because those same members were then unable to process transactions virtually. It was under those circumstances that led the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU)...

One year ago, Donore Credit Union in Dublin, Ireland established the Donore Area Sustainable Community (DASC), a community group dedicated to playing its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the quality of the natural environment in the local area. Part of that process was a learning journey for the credit union itself, both in terms of the response from members, and how they sh...

America’s Credit Unions’ Governmental Affairs Conference took place in early March in Washington, D.C. Better known simply as GAC, it is the largest annual gathering for credit union professionals in the United States. But each year, more and more international credit union professionals make the long journey to GAC as well, because they learn so much to take back home to implement in their credit...

February is Black History Month in the United States and Canada, and we use that as a jumping off point for a discussion about the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) movement taking hold at credit unions on a number of continents. Renee Sattiewhite, President and CEO of the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) and Board Director for Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions, speaks abou...

If technological innovations are going to truly boost financial inclusion worldwide, international standard setting bodies and national-level regulators must consider the institutions offering digital financial products and services as much as they examine how those deliverables are offered when contemplating new compliance requirements. Were regulations to be written only for the large internatio...

We wrap up 2023 by taking a look back at how World Council succeeded this year in making credit unions more relevant in key strategic areas, such as climate resilience, digitalization and the financial inclusion of migrants, refugees, women and youth. Our professionals also talk about how World Council put on a record-setting 2023 World Credit Union Conference, expanded our membership base and sco...

Thom Belekevich, World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) Director of Member Services, helped open the door of WOCCU membership to more credit union associations, and even some individual credit unions for the first time in 2023. He joins the podcast on Episode 31 to talk about the specific changes to our membership categories and why they should enrich our organization even more moving forward. An...

This month, we are taking time to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of International Credit Union Day, celebrated on October 19, 2023. Each year since 1948 our global movement has taken time out on the third Thursday of October to celebrate the spirit people helping people. ICU Day, as its commonly known, is recognized to reflect upon the credit union movement's history, promote its achievements,...