Special to the Record
Metro Credit Union was honored to participate in the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) 2024 Conference. This week, Boston was host to WOCCU’s first international conference in the U.S. since 2015.
“We were honored to be part of the World Council of Credit Unions conference and it was an even bigger honor to welcome so many of the conference attendees to Metro,” said Robert Cashman, President and CEO of Metro Credit Union. “We are grateful for the opportunity to talk about our mission, one that we proudly share with credit unions across the globe, and to share what makes Metro and the communities we serve special.”
Metro welcomed nearly 100 colleagues from international credit unions at our headquarters in Chelsea for a site visit and a look into what makes Metro and the communities we serve special. Our guests represented 20 credit unions located in 12 countries around the world — Anguilla, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Dominica, Ghana, India, Ireland, Nepal, Romania, Singapore, and Trinidad and Tobago. Metro leadership shared an overview of the organization and provided a tour, along with the opportunity to meet with staff across all departments.
Visiting credit unions included:
Aero Services Credit Union – Trinidad and Tobago
ARCCU Credit Union – Ghana
Car Credit Teius – Romania
Car Iproeb Bistrita – Romania
Central Sicredi PR/SP/RJ – Brazil
Clonakilty & Dunmanway Credit Union – Ireland
Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corporation (CUDGC) – Canada
DCSLL – Dominica
Hardin Saving & Credit Cooperative Ltd. – Nepal
Liberty Co-operative Credit Union – Anguilla
Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union – U.S.
Members Heritage Credit Union – U.S.
Pathwise Credit Union – Canada
PCM Credit Union – U.S.
Samata Credit Co-operative Society Ltd. – India
Sicredi – Brazil
Singapore National Co-operative Federation – Singapore
Sistema Ocepar – Brazil
Solidarity Community Federal Credit Union – U.S.
Teachers Mutual Bank Limited – Australia
SVP Outreach, Advocacy & Chief Development Officer Charlene Bauer also represented Metro in a breakout session, “Growing Diverse Membership – Reaching Excluded Communities” to share insights on how Metro serves immigrant and underbanked communities in Massachusetts through its programs, services, and financial education. The panel focused on the findings of a report WOCCU recently published on the role credit unions play in supporting migrants and refugees in Brazil, Ecuador, Poland, and the U.S. — Metro was one of two U.S. credit unions studied for providing programs geared for immigrant populations.
World Council of Credit Unions is the global trade association and development platform for credit unions. World Council promotes the sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services. World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions’ financial performance and increase their outreach.
World Council has implemented 300+ technical assistance programs in 90 countries. Worldwide, 82,758 credit unions in 97 countries serve 404 million people. Learn more about World Council’s impact around the world at www.woccu.org.
Metro Credit Union is the largest state-chartered credit union in Massachusetts, with $3.4 billion in assets. Metro provides a full range of financial products to close to 200,000 members in Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, and Worcester counties in Massachusetts, and Cheshire, Hillsborough, and Rockingham counties in New Hampshire. Metro is the credit union of choice for employees at over 1,200 companies through its Metro@work program.
Founded in 1926, Metro currently operates branch offices in Boston, Burlington, Chelsea, Dorchester, Framingham, Lawrence, Lynn, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Peabody, Reading, Salem, Tewksbury, and West Roxbury. Metro is also a Juntos Avanzamos (“Together We Advance”) designated credit union, an honor given to financial institutions for their commitment to serving and empowering Hispanic and immigrant consumers. Metro was recently named among the most charitable companies in Massachusetts by the Boston Business Journal. Learn more at MetroCU.org.