CHISINAU, Moldova — Four representatives of the Idaho Credit Union League visited with the Central Association of Savings and Credit Associations (CASCA) of Moldova in Eastern Europe to sign a partnership agreement, the newest of 20 international partnerships managed by the World Council of Credit Unions.
"We very much appreciate CASCA's participation in our International Partnerships Program and their role in hosting the Idaho Credit Union League's delegation," said Brian Branch, World Council president & CEO. "The two organizations have a great deal of information to share for the mutual benefit and development of more comprehensive and effective member services."
Representatives of Idaho's CUs meet with Modova's CUs.
According to World Council, its International Partnerships Program unites credit union movements from around the world to exchange ideas, best practices and technical expertise. “The program builds stronger institutional capacity that ultimately benefits credit union members, while demonstrating the principle of cooperation among cooperatives that distinguish credit unions as financial institutions,” WOCCU said.
Idaho League representatives on the trip included Shane Berger, Idaho League chairman, Beehive Federal Credit Union president/CEO and member of CUNA's World Leadership Development Committee; Robert Taylor, Idaho State University Credit Union president/CEO; David Lawrence, CapEd Federal Credit Union director; and Will Hall, Idaho League vice president. World Council's Victor Corro, vice president, and Liliana Tangwall, manager member services, accompanied the delegation.
In the new partnership, the Idaho League and World Council said they will seek to provide a variety of operational and technical assistance to Moldovan credit union organizations. The assistance can take many forms, including savings growth strategies for credit unions, regulatory support and marketing support for bolstering awareness and participation in the credit union movement. The next steps include defining the focus and developing a work plan.
During the week-long exchange, the Idaho delegation met extensively with CASCA, credit unions and their members, the national regulator and the Rural Finance Corporation, to better understand credit unions' role in Moldova's economic landscape. Meetings took place with rural credit unions, including Onești-Credit and Rural Credit, the National Commission for Financial Markets and the Ministry of Agriculture.
About Moldova
Moldova is a country of about 3.5-million people, nestled between Romania and Ukraine. Its rich soil and moderate climate lend themselves to agriculture, which is credit union members' main economic activity. Crops include fruits, vegetables and wine.
"Signing the collaboration agreement with World Council and the Idaho Credit Union League is a very important event for CASCA," said Victor Trocin, CASCA general director. "CASCA was created in 2009 and is proud to be recognized worldwide as a member of the global credit union movement. The visit of the Idaho League and World Council in Moldova was a very useful exchange, in particular for the upcoming amendments to the credit union law initiated by the National Commission for Financial Markets."
"Exchanges like this are extremely valuable, in that we can learn different ways of approaching credit union work from each other, while at same time communing over the similar challenges we face such as increasing youth membership, emerging technologies and how to protect small credit unions," Berger said.