Nicaragua and MDDCCUA renew partnership!

The Maryland and District of Columbia Credit Union Association recently welcomed visitors from the Nicaraguan Central Service Organization, Juan Altamirano, CEO of the CSO, and German Membreno, CSO Vice Chairman and CEO of Dinamica Credit Union. The trip included attending MDDCCUA’s Annual Meeting and Convention, where the theme was “CSI: Common Sense Innovations” – highlighting the marriage of the practical with the cutting edge. Approximately 700 credit union board members and managers were in attendance. The visitors were invited to participate in the convention’s educational sessions and also in several visits to credit unions in the Baltimore-Washington area.

MDDCCUA CEO Michael Beall, who hosted the visit with Sarah Turner, MDDCCUA Vice President of Strategic Alliances, explained, “The topics covered during this convention—growth, governance and services—are challenges both MDDCUA and CSO face. Through the partnership exchange, we can overcome these challenges together.”

CSO and the former DC Credit Union League established a partnership through the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) International Partnerships program in 2002. The visit marked the first meeting between CSO and the new MDCCUA since the DC and Maryland credit union leagues merged last year.

In July, MDDCCUA will send two volunteers to Nicaragua to provide training on nominating committee and governance best practices. In coming years, MDDCCUA will provide technical assistance to CSO on shared branching, and CSO will work with credit unions in DC and Maryland to enhance outreach to immigrant groups.

The partners concluded that the visit had an important impact on both sides, and displayed one of the most valuable outcomes of a partnership, the bonds that grow between the people of different cultures, especially when they have the commitment of credit union development.

Villarreal and Corro Visit Superintendency of Banks in Panama

Jacinto Villarreal, COFEP's CEO and Victor Miguel Corro, WOCCU's international partnerships manager recently visited the Superientendency of Banks in Panama (SBP), During their visit Corro and Villarreal explained the international partnership between the Iowa Credit Union League and COFEP, WOCCU's member in Panama.

Superintentendent Olegario Barrelier was briefed on the concern of the lack of specific credit union regulation and oversight in the country. Barrelier and SBP management team expressed awarenes of the lack of adequate oversight and committed to helping Iowa and Panama find ways to strenghten the regulatory and examination framework for credit unions in the country.

WOCCU will share its Model Credit Union Law with the Superintendency of Banks. IPACOOP is the Panamanian Goverment Agency that oversees cooperatives in the country. Credit Unions are under IPACOOP's watch.

Panama and Iowa credit union movements have been engaged in a partnership for almost three years. Several lobbying efforts have been conducted at high levels in the Panamanian goverment to create awareness of best regulatory and examination practices when it comes to credit unions.

Minnesota visits 5th annual international seminar in Paraguay

Representatives Dick Nesvold, Board Chairman Minnesota Credit Union Network, and Mark Cummins, President & CEO Minnesota Credit Union Network, recently attended an international seminar in Asuncion, Paraguay. The seminar took place on May21-22 and was the fifth annual event. The title this year was “Credit Unions: Valid Alternatives for Social & Economic Development, emphasis on Training, Technology, Regulation, Ecology & Microfinance.” Approximately, 400 credit union representatives were in attendance.

Both Nesvold and Cummins addressed the conference on key topics such as credit union governance and the effect of government relations and politics on credit unions. The conference also consisted of presentations covering other areas of interest including monitoring financial risk, advances in regulation and supervision, and the impact of tax reform on credit unions.

Minnesota Credit Union Network (MnCUN) and Central de Cooperativas del Area Nacional Ltda. (CENCOPAN) have been partnered through WOCCU’s International Partnerships Program since 2004. The partnership has allowed for the two credit union movements to facilitate a number of initiatives such as a credit union exchange program and an international dialogue with regulators from Paraguay, NCUA and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Both credit union movements are concerned with issue-driven political advocacy and the toll that crisis-mode grassroots lobbying takes. The movements would like to move towards systemic political advocacy and working with legislators on a continual basis.

After the conference, the Cummins, Nesvold, and Michelle Kramer of WOCCU met with Sen. Rolando Dietze of Paraguay’s National Congress and Committee of Cooperative Affairs where they discussed the country’s economy and the impact of cooperatives.

The final two days of the trip consisted of visits to numerous credit unions, including Mercado No. 4 Ltda., and Universitaria Ltda., Del Sur Ltda. and Colonias Unidas Ltda. Nesvold, who had previously visited some of these credit unions in the inaugural partnership visit in 2004, was able to review the tremendous changes that had taken place in the last three years of the partnership.

Both Minnesota guests were encouraged, energized and honored by their visit to Paraguay and have great hope in the Paraguay credit union movement.

Written by Josh Fetting, International Partnerships Intern