Creating Impact at Scale: Credit Unions Leading with Purpose

Two credit unions from opposite sides of the Americas—Vancity (Canada) and Sicredi (Brazil)—came together to share how they’re using financial services as a force for good.

In a session focused on “Creating Impact at Scale,” Wellington Holbrook, President & CEO of Vancity, and Márcio Zwierewicz, President of Sicredi Campos Gerais e Grande Curitiba PR/SP, explored how purpose-driven innovation and community-rooted strategy are central to their institutions' models.

From social and environmental lending to empowering underserved groups, their approaches showcased how credit unions can build meaningful change while staying financially strong.

The speakers emphasized that delivering real impact means aligning products, services and partnerships with the needs of local communities—and being intentional about where and how to focus those efforts.

The session offered practical tools and examples to inspire others to deepen their commitment to cooperative values and responsible finance.

“I think of progress in many ways, of bringing people out of poverty and so on. We're running the risk of seeing increases of poverty again in many parts of the world that haven't seen that in a long time. I really do believe credit unions and cooperatives are going to be a big part of the answer to ensure a more resilient future for everyone,” said Holbrook.