1970CUNA International RestructuresCUNA International (USA) undergoes basic restructuring during its annual meeting, resulting in the formation of World Council. Shortly after the meeting, U.S. Credit Union National Association, Inc. (CUNA), the National Association of Canadian Credit Unions (NACCU) and the Australian Federation of Credit union Leagues, Ltd. (AFCUL) were accepted as members of World Council. New regional federations were also forming in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Far East. |
1970World Council of Credit Unions is BornWorld Council of Credit Unions is incorporated in November 1970. World Council President R.C. Robertson led the organization through its restructuring period and into a new era of credit union expansion throughout the world. |
1971Operations BeginOn Jan. 1, World Council of Credit Unions officially begins operations at the Filene House in Madison, Wis., USA, representing 40 million members of 56,000 credit unions in more than 70 countries. |
1971U.S. Leagues Fund DevelopmentThe Texas Credit Union League becomes the first U.S. league to support a WOCCU program in Mexico. WOCCU's development program in Mexico was designed to make the credit union movement self-sustaining within five years, which included the establishment of regional offices. |
1972Wegner Named Managing DirectorHerb Wegner becomes managing director (1972-75) |
1972"WOCCU" is First CoinedFirst use of "WOCCU" in publications. |
1973New Development ApproachWOCCU commits to "stimulating credit union development where the potential for technical or financial assistance looks favorable." Priorities are to extend credit union services through directed agricultural production credit programs and a global interlending system between credit unions. |
1975Bailey Named Managing DirectorA.A. "Paddy" Bailey, a Jamaican, becomes managing director (1975-83) |
1975Worldwide Foundation for CUs Comes to LifeCUNA International Foundation becomes Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions. The Worldwide Foundation sponsored an information booth at major credit union meetings to "spark interest in high-leverage giving through the foundation." |
1978CUs Gain Voice Among United NationsWOCCU attains United Nations observer status, giving credit unions a voice among the U.N. General Assembly. |
1979WOCCU RelocatesWOCCU relocates to its current location at the Credit Union Center in Madison, Wis., USA. WOCCU headquarters in Madison, Wis. (USA) |
1980Programs for Women IncreaseWOCCU sponsors a two-part program on women entrepreneurs and credit during the World Conference of the U.N. Decade for Women in Copenhagen. |
1981D.C. and Madison Offices MergeCUNA's Global Projects Office and staff in Washington, D.C., merge with WOCCU, fully integrating resources and centralizing management in Madison. |
1981Helman Named CEOHoward Helman becomes CEO (1981-82) |
1983Charbonneau Named CEOAl Charbonneau, a Canadian, becomes CEO (1983-93) |
1984WOCCU Forms Intl. CU PrinciplesWOCCU drafts 10 international credit union operating principles based partly on the Rochdale principles, which guided the first financial cooperatives in England. |
1987Model CU Building ApproachA USAID-funded Guatemala program spawns WOCCU's model credit union building approach, which emphasizes institutional building through savings mobilization rather than the infusion of credit and share-based lending. |
1987WOCCU Publishes First BookWOCCU publishes its first book, The Central Finance Facility, a guide to developing and operating a "credit union for credit unions." |
1988WOCCU Develops CUs in NigerWOCCU helps develop credit unions in the Islamic country of Niger, beginning with basic literacy and numeracy training for credit union staff. |
1989CU Expansion in Central EuropeWOCCU responds to a request from the Solidarity movement to develop credit unions in Poland and adopts a Central European Policy for development in the region. |
1990PEARLS DebutsPEARLS monitoring system debuts, the first in a series of WOCCU financial tools for credit unions. PEARLS training in the Philippines |
1991WOCCU Forum Held in MadisonWOCCU's triennial forum held in Madison, Wis., the first time in the United States. Attendees are hosted in local homes. |
1993Baker Named CEOChris Baker, an integral player in WOCCU's early development as part of the Global Projects Office, becomes CEO (1993-2000) |
1994Model CU Building Applied in AfricaWOCCU brings its model credit union building approach to Africa. |
1994WOCCU Provides CU Legislation FrameworkA "Content Guide" in English, Spanish and French provides the first international framework for credit union legislation. It is the precursor to Model Law for Credit Unions, first published in 2000. |
1994People-to-People Program BeginsThe People-to-People program comes to life, connecting credit union professionals through international internships and volunteer assignments. It is the forerunner to WOCCU's International Partnerships Program. |
1995WOCCU Financial Tools ComputerizedPEARLS and Business Plan tools integrate into a computerized software package. |
1996WOCCU Website DebutsWOCCU establishes its first "worldwide web homepage." WOCCU's Melanie Tavera (left) and Julie Panka (right) spent months learning about the Internet, preparing for WOCCU's emergence on the Web. |
1996Bringing CUs to Rural PoorA program in the Philippines fuses the model credit union building approach with financial education to bring credit union outreach to the very poor. Forms of the methodology are later transferred to Ecuador and Peru. |
1999Intl. Remittance Program StartsIRnet® debuts, making low-cost international money transfers possible through credit unions. It is WOCCU's first for-profit venture through the newly established WOCCU Services Group (WSG). |
1999Guatemala Adopts CU Rating AgencyWOCCU creates the first credit union rating agency in Guatemala. |
2000Arnold Named CEOArthur Arnold becomes CEO (2000-04) |
2000WOCCU Supporters Program FormsWOCCU Supporters Program formalizes at the Credit Union Forum in Nashville, Tenn., USA. Credit Union Executive Society becomes the first WOCCU Supporter with a donation of US$10,000. |
2001Basel Committee Convenes Financial Co-ops at WOCCU's UrgingAt WOCCU's initiative, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision convenes financial cooperatives for the first time to discuss the new capital adequacy framework proposed for Basel II. |
2001WYCUP BeginsFormer WYCUP winners do some impromptu fundraising at the World Credit Union Conference in Calgary, AB, Canada, in 2007. |
2003New Delivery Approach in Mexico Reaches Remote VillagesCredit union field officers begin trekking into remote, marginalized communities to bring financial services to the poor through WOCCU's new Semilla Cooperativa [cooperative seed] methodology. Credit union members make deposits outside a member's home in the remote village of Nuevo Jacal, Veracruz, Mexico. |
2004CU Advocacy Office Opens in BrusselsWOCCU helps establish an advocacy office in Brussels and organizes the European Network of Credit Unions in 2009. |
2004CU Development Begins in AfghanistanWOCCU's Afghanistan program becomes its first venture into Shari'a-compliant Islamic finance. |
2005Crear Named President & CEOPete Crear, a long-time CUNA executive, becomes president & CEO (2005-11) |
2005World CU Conference FormalizesThe annual International Leadership Institute and triennial Credit Union Forum become the inaugural World Credit Union Conference in Rome, Italy. |
2007Intl. CU Regulators' Network FormsMore than 20 financial cooperative regulators form the International Credit Union Regulators' Network. Gary Kohn (NCUA, USA), Gigi Hyland (NCUA, USA) and Brandon Khoo (APRA, Australia) participate in the annual International Regulators' Roundtable. |
2008Smart Phones Improve Financial Services in Rural MexicoCredit unions first use personal digital assistants (PDAs) to improve financial service delivery in rural Mexico. |
2008CU-specific Legislation Passes in AfricaSouth Africa and Kenya become the first English-speaking African countries to pass credit union-specific laws. |
2009Global Women's Leadership Network EstablishedWorld Council established the Global Women’s Leadership Network to tackle our industry’s gender gap while also leveraging resources to strengthen the economic security of women and their families. The Global Women’s Leadership Network is the industry's only international platform dedicated to addressing and facilitating greater gender balance among leadership positions. |
2010Small CUs Access Central Data Services Bureau in KenyaWOCCU establishes the first credit union-owned data services bureau for small credit unions in Kenya. Obed Makori (right), WOCCU's program staff member in Kenya, works with two bookkeepers who use the data services bureau and application service provider (ASP) software to provide accounting services to several small credit unions. |
2011Branch Named President & CEOExecutive Vice President & COO Brian Branch, a 21-year WOCCU veteran, becomes president & CEO |