Talking Credit Unions from Swoboda Research Centre
Talking Credit Unions delves into the latest trends shaping the financial landscape, equipping credit unions with the insights they need to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. This podcast also tackles key issues facing the movement, fostering knowledge sharing and collaboration. Featuring a diverse line-up of credit union leaders, experts, researchers, and industry suppliers, it offers valuable perspectives to drive best practices, innovation, and success.
Talking Credit Unions is brought to you by the Swoboda Research Centre, which works to support positive change and transformation in the credit union movement. (https://swobodacentre.org/).
The podcast’s current producer and host, Anca Voinea, is a trained journalist with over 13 years of experience in the co-operative and credit union sectors. To suggest a podcast topic or for any other inquiries, contact her at anca.voinea@swobodacentre.org.
Talking Credit Unions from Swoboda Research Centre
EDITION 6 - Credit Unions and COVID 19
A fundamental principle of the credit union sector is ‘people helping people’. The COVID-19 health crisis, with its associated social lockdown and economic shocks, has presented operational and commercial challenges to credit unions that go way beyond previous experience. Credit union members are having to cope with social distancing and sometimes isolation, as well as potentially reduced income or unemployment.
In this podcast we hear some of the testimony of those credit unions and the challenges met by British credit unions. CFCFE published a well-received report on the response of British credit unions to Covid-19 earlier in May 2020 and have also produced the second paper in the series, on the response by Irish credit unions, which you can view and download on the CFCFE website https://www.cfcfe.eu/
A comparison of the two reports reflects differences in credit union business models and their social and commercial environments as between Ireland and Britain. But it it also shows the huge similarities in how the credit union ethos of 'people helping people' has, in both countries, manifested itself in exceptional service to members and their communities in a time of grave crisis.
Thanks to the credit unions and credit union support organisations -- both CFCFE members and non-members -- who contributed their stories for this podcast.
Talking Credit Unions is a regular podcast dedicated to informing credit union practitioners, leaders, and opinion formers on a variety of industry topics. The podcast is sponsored by the Swoboda Research Centre.