2025 World Credit Union Conference Opens!
2025-07-14
WOCCU Board Chair Mike Lawrence
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STOCKHOLM, Sweden—More than 2,000 credit union professionals from nearly 60 countries on Monday morning celebrated the start of the 2025 World Credit Union Conference (WCUC) with an opening ceremony that included the annual parade of flags and the announcement of a new strategy for World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU).
WOCCU Board Chair Mike Lawrence (Australia) welcomed attendees to the 20th anniversary edition of WCUC and immediately addressed some new realities for the organization, which lost most of its international development funding with the dismantling of USAID earlier this year.
“Politician and motivational speaker Les Brown once said, ‘when something bad happens, there are three choices: you can let it define you, let it destroy you or you can let it strengthen you.’ In this vein, WOCCU immediately pivoted to do what we do best and strengthened the organization to serve our members and advocate for the fair treatment of credit unions in front of international standard setting bodies,’ said Lawrence.
The remarks came just days after the WOCCU Board of Directors approved a new three-year strategy that prioritizes:
- A more proactive approach to International Advocacy.
- Improved services for WOCCU members.
- Strengthening the organization’s role as a global leader in cooperative finance.
“As the saying goes, ‘in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.’ This has really changed our focus on what is truly important to our organization and delivering value to our members,” said Lawrence.