MADISON, Wis.—The World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) has launched a strategic collaboration with Visa aimed at addressing one of the most "persistent" barriers to financial inclusion: the high cost, access and complexity of cross-border payments and remittances, WOCCU said.
Announced at the 2025 World Credit Union Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, the initiative will bring together credit union leaders from across the Americas to identify and explore scalable solutions that ensure reliable cross-border money movement with the security, ease of use and clear guidance that credit union members seek, WOCCU said.
“Cross-border payments remain costly, complex and often out of reach for many communities served by credit unions,” said Thomas Belekevich, WOCCU director of member services. “This collaboration with Visa represents a critical step forward in our mission to create inclusive and efficient financial ecosystems globally. Together, we’re building solutions rooted in cooperation, innovation and impact.”
The initiative will convene a global working group of credit union leaders and innovators to co-create practical solutions through WOCCU’s Global Cooperative Committees platform to foster peer learning and public-private collaboration to address systemic challenges in cooperative finance.
As a strategic advisor and key knowledge partner, Visa will contribute global expertise to help inform and shape impactful solutions, WOCCU said.
“At Visa, we believe that inclusive economies are built on accessible, reliable and secure financial infrastructure,” said Celeste Schwitters, Senior Vice President, Community Accounts and Digital Sales at Visa. “By working alongside WOCCU, we’re not only supporting innovation in cross-border payments—we’re helping credit unions extend their reach, deepen trust with their members and deliver financial services that are truly global in scope.”
This partnership is part of a pilot initiative that reflects WOCCU’s broader strategy to drive sustainable development through public-private collaboration. The work will culminate in a global insights brief and a presentation of key findings at the 2026 World Credit Union Conference, WOCCU said.
For more information about the Global Cooperative Committees or WOCCU’s work on financial inclusion and cooperative development, visit www.woccu.org.