STOCKHOLM, Sweden—The 20th anniversary of the premier global credit union event closed Wednesday with a new attendance record for a World Credit Union Conference held in Europe.
This year’s attendance of more than 2,000 participants tops the previous high of 1,813 set in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 2016.
The record-setting crowd was treated to a vibrant final keynote address from Eric Termuende on “Blueprint to the Future: Leading in a New World of Work”.
Termuende said no matter who he talks to, those who like their jobs always give the same reason for it: the people with whom they work.
“So, why is it that thing that we love so much about the work we do is the thing that we like to avoid the most? I think the key to the future of work is the development of the relationships with the team you’ve already got. I think your best recruitment strategy is going to be a good retention strategy,” said Termuende.
The presentation also laid out practical strategies attendees could take home and use to create and excel in the workplaces of tomorrow.
Young professionals share their vision of the future
Wednesday morning’s general session also featured a panel of young credit union leaders sharing their insights on how to grow their ranks in the sector.
The young professionals said much of the problem of aging leadership in credit unions can be solved by those very leaders taking a more active role in mentoring the next generation.
Kemar Cumberbatch, President of the Barbados Co-operative & Credit Union League Ltd. Board of Directors, said his own mentors helped him grow and advance his career at a rapid pace.
“They gave me the space to grow; praised me when I did something good. If I failed or fell short, they supported me. They did not play politics, which a lot of people do when it comes to age, so there was no embarrassment. They were there to give you that room to fall, helping you to grow in a particular role,” said Cumberbatch.
But equally as important is for young credit union employees to be ready to grow and become leaders, according to Kefilwe Masalila, CEO of the Botswana Savings and Credit Cooperative Association (BOSCCA) Ltd.
“Don’t be afraid to step up. Let your age not be a limitation. Unless you believe it is a limitation yourself, nothing is there to limit you,” said Masalila.
Should RegTech focus on technology or principles?
WOCCU Vice President of International Advocacy Paul Andrews on Wednesday hosted the final two of seven breakout sessions focused on advocacy and regulatory issues at WCUC 2025.
One of them focused on the intersection of regulation and technology in the financial services sector, with much of the conversation revolving around whether regulations should be applied to specific technological tools or focus more on overall principles.
David Heine, CEO of Regional Australia Bank, said technology is simply changing too fast to focus regulations on specific tools.
“You can’t nail it down and regulate a specific version (of a tool). I mean, how many different versions of AI do we all have on our phones? You can’t treat it from that point of view,” said Heine. “There are some weaknesses in a principles-based approach, of course. It becomes gray for practitioners to understand, necessarily, what the outcome is and what you’re trying to drive toward, but we’re left with no choice, in my view.”
But even on a principles level, the panel agreed regulators must take a wholistic approach to technology.
“In policy terms, there’s a triangle. And, if you’re a policymaker, you often have various objectives you want to pursue. You may want to pursue competitiveness and effectiveness, and performance— and that’s a very valid objective. But you may also want to pursue privacy protection—very important,” said Peter Kerstens, Technology Adviser for the European Commission. “But if you go to purse one of these objectives to the extreme, the two other objectives are going to suffer. And that’s why policymakers—in my view—have to try to place themselves somewhere in the middle of the triangle.”
WOCCU International Advocacy also hosted a Wednesday panel discussion on the ways political influence and credit union growth go hand in hand.
Creating impact at scale
How can credit unions use the power of financial services to create impact for the people and communities we serve?
That was the question executives from two of the leading impact-focused credit unions, Sicredi (Brazil) and Vancity (Canada), examined by outlining how they embed impact more deeply into their service model.
“We’re running the risk of seeing increases in poverty again in many parts of the world that haven’t seen that in a long time. I really do believe credit unions and cooperatives are going to be a big part of the answer to ensure a more resilient future for everyone,” said Wellington Holbrook, President and CEO of Vancity.
The session offered practical tools and examples to inspire others to deepen their commitment to cooperative values and responsible finance.
Closing celebration caps WCUC 2025
The 2025 World Credit Union Conference concluded Wednesday night with a closing party at the Stockholm Waterfront Congress Center.
Along with the record number of attendees for a European-based conference, WCUC 2025 drew participants from 55 countries and hosted more than 30 keynote and breakout sessions featuring over 50 speakers.
To get all the news from the 2025 World Credit Union Conference, visit the WOCCU Newsroom or the WCUC 2025 Blog.
Get ready for WCUC 2026
WOCCU is excited to announce the 2026 World Credit Union Conference will be held in Sydney, Australia, July 19-22.
WOCCU will co-host WCUC 2026 with the Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA), our direct member organization in Australia. It will be the first World Credit Union Conference held in Australia since 2014 (Gold Coast) and the first-ever held in Sydney.
Registration for the 2026 World Credit Union Conference will open later this year. For more information, visit wcuc.org/sydney.
World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) is the apex association for credit unions and other global financial cooperatives. 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, 74,634 credit unions in 104 countries serve 411 million people. Learn more about World Council’s impact around the world at www.woccu.org.