Records smashed at 2023 World Credit Union Conference
New marks for attendees, speakers and sessions all set in Vancouver
MADISON, WI (July 27, 2023) — The 2023 World Credit Union Conference concluded Wednesday with a Canadian-themed closing party that put the finishing touches on a record-setting, four-day event at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
A record number of more than 3,000 credit union professionals from 60 countries attended the conference—the first held in Canada in a decade.
That was matched by records for both the number of speakers (nearly 100), as well as the number of keynote presentations or breakout sessions (43). Topics included:
- Digitalization
- Open Banking.
- Climate finance and sustainability.
- Regulation and advocacy.
- Financial inclusion and education.
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
- Human connection.
- The future of work.
- Digital marketing.
The Solution Center at WCUC 2023 also featured the largest number of vendors ever for a World Credit Union Conference held outside of the United States.
Launch of WOCCU Climate Influencers Network and WYCUP Global Emerging Leaders Summit
World Council of Credit Unions also launched its Climate Influencers Network during a summit at WCUC 2023, which was held to find out exactly what types of climate resilience issues our members would like to focus on moving forward. WOCCU will take suggestions from the summit to build out a 2024 agenda for the Network.
WYCUP also held a first-of-its-kind event in Vancouver, hosting the inaugural Global Emerging Leaders Summit. More than 170 young credit union professionals explored global perspectives on shared challenges, highlighted social entrepreneurship and examined opportunities to support sustainable, resilient communities through credit unions.
Worldwide Foundation for Credit Unions (WFCU) also hosted more events in conjunction with a World Credit Union Conference than ever before—putting on a gala celebration event for its Champions, a shoreline cleanup and a celebration of lights cruise complete with a view of Vancouver’s spectacular downtown fireworks display. WFCU also welcomed Ukrainian credit union leaders and members of World Council’s Credit for Agriculture Producers’ (CAP) Project team, who delivered a presentation on the bravery of credit union professionals and their members in Ukraine.
WCUC 2023 is a hit online
WCUC 2023 also was a hit on social media. Our hashtag, #wcuc2023, was shared more than 2,000 times on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn posts as of Thursday morning.
Press coverage of the event was also strong. WCUC 2023 was featured in more than 175 articles published by over 30 news outlets across 10 countries.
Get ready for 2024
Next year, World Council of Credit Unions will host the 2024 World Credit Union Conference in collaboration with Credit Union National Association (CUNA/USA), July 21-24, 2024, in Boston, MA. To learn more, visit wcuc.org/boston.
About World Council of Credit Unions
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.
