BOSTON—The World Council of Credit Unions presented annual awards for digital growth and distinguished service to credit union organizations and individuals during its World Credit Union Conference here.
Among those recognized were:
2024 Digital Growth Awards
Winners: Pusat Koperasi Credit Union Indonesia (PUSKOPCUINA) and SICOOB (Brazil)
The award recognize implementations of digital solutions that promote financial inclusion, innovation and scalability.
WOCCU said PUSKOPCUINA, the credit union federation for Indonesia and a member of the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions, won for the development of ESCETE, which encompasses a cloud-based core banking solution, personalized mobile banking for individual members and an innovative e-commerce platform where SME members can market and sell their products.
Meanwhile, WOCCU said SICOOB, a Brazilian credit union system and WOCCU associate member, won a Digital Growth Award for developing and implementing Sipag 2.0, a digital system that allows micro and small businesses in rural areas to accept electronic payments at an affordable cost, allowing them to expand their customer reach and increase sales.
“First awarded in 2021, the Digital Growth Award is presented annually to recognize one or more member credit union associations or individual member credit unions,” WOCCU said. “A panel of independent digitalization experts selected by WOCCU judged all nominations and selected this year's recipients.”
Distinguished Service Awards
Winners: Timothy “Ted” O’Sullivan (Ireland) and Arnaldo Jardim (Brazil)
“Nominated by the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), O’Sullivan spent the last 15 years volunteering for ILCU’s International Development Foundation by providing support and mentoring to credit union movements in Belize, Ethiopia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Uganda,” WOCCU said.
He also delivered numerous training sessions on PEARLS, WOCCU’s tool that helps credit unions determine their financial health.
“I’ve derived tremendous job satisfaction from those projects. The success of those projects is when you return after a few years and see your work bearing fruit. It’s more satisfaction than any other job I’ve ever had,” said O’Sullivan.
Nominated by Sicredi, WOCCU said Jardim has been active in advocacy and climate change projects on behalf of cooperatives in Brazil and greater Latin America. “He notably served as an important spokesperson for credit unions during discussions that culminated in their appropriate tax treatment in Brazil’s Tax Reform Act of 2023,” according to the World Council.
“I salute, court and celebrate credit unions as a global movement that transcends borders, unites communities and promotes sustainable and inclusive development around the world,” said Jardim.
First presented in 1986, the Distinguished Service Award recognizes WOCCU member organizations and individuals for their outstanding contributions to credit union development outside their home country.
2024 WOCCU Fellows Announced
In addition, WOCCU announced Charity Abraham (Ghana) and Laurensius Tony (Indonesia) as its 2024 Fellows, who will serve as observers to the board through the July 2025 meeting.
According to WOCCU, Abraham and Tony were selected from a pool of 20 applicants from 12 countries. They will attend and participate in three WOCCU Board meetings over a one-year period, beginning in fall of 2024. Their travel expenses, including airfare, hotel and local transportation, will be covered by WOCCU, including registration to attend the 2025 World Credit Union Conference.
“As board observers, they will receive all material information provided to members of the board but will not have formal voting rights during the board of directors’ meetings,” WOCCU said. “They will also receive mentorship from members of the WOCCU Board, or from members of the WOCCU or Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions’ staff.”