The ICA has recently welcomed six new members, joining from Paraguay, Chile, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
From Paraguay, two financial cooperatives have joined as Full Members: Cooperativa Multiactiva de Consumo, Ahorro y Crédito Yoayu Ltda. (Yoayu Multiactive Consumer, Savings, and Credit Cooperative Ltd.); and Cooperativa multiactiva de Ahorro y Crédito, Consumo, Producción y Servicios, COOPEDUC LTDA (COOPEDUC Multiactive Savings and Credit, Consumer, Production, and Services Cooperative).
Yoayu works to promote the socioeconomic development of its 50,000+ members through its financial and social services, including savings options, such as demand deposit accounts and time deposits, as well as a wide range of loans tailored to different needs. The co-op decided to join the ICA to consolidate its identity and principles on a global scale, exchange best practices, gain access to ongoing innovation, and strengthen the cooperative model in the face of current challenges.
COOPEDUC was established by 136 teachers and now serves more than 83,000 members with its financial services and social programmes, with a focus on sustainability, technological innovation, and digital transformation. For COOPEDUC, ICA membership represents “an opportunity to strengthen our cooperative identity at the international level, exchange best practices, access training and continuing education opportunities, and actively contribute to the global positioning of Paraguayan cooperativism”.
Joining from Chile is savings and credit co-op Cooperativa de Ahorro y Credito BanCrece. The cooperative’s primary objective is to promote saving as a means of improving wellbeing for its 83,000+ members. It is joining the ICA to connect with a global cooperative network of contacts, learn best practices, have global representation, and participate in the global process to set the strategy of the cooperative movement.
Tederash SACCOS, a savings and credit cooperative in Ethiopia, has also joined the ICA as a Full Member. Tederash was established to collectively overcome, withstand and solve economic and social problems that its 18,000 members cannot individually achieve. It has now joined the ICA to gain access to global networking communities and cooperation, professional development and recognition, exclusive resources, and to share experience.
Three more organisations have also joined the ICA as Associate Members: Henosis Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (SACCO) from Ethiopia; the Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives; and Malaysia Co-operative Societies Commission (MCSC) .
Henosis SACCO provides savings, loans, and related financial services to its 1,058 members, to promote a culture of saving, provide equitable access to credit, and improve the economic wellbeing of its members. Through ICA membership, Henosis aims to align its operation, governance and institutional development with internationally recognised principles and standards, learn from global experience and “advance the cooperative movement at all levels”.
The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives is a non-profit organisation serving its 327 primary cooperative members. The organisation serves as the unifying voice and catalyst for cooperative growth through development of sustainable communities in the Philippines. The Philippine Chamber of Cooperatives has joined the ICA to learn more about the global cooperative movement and contribute to the strengthening of the movement in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as “to be part of the global movement that shapes a future promoting social justice and economic development through a cooperative model”.
MCSC supports the formation, registration and development of co-ops in Malaysia, which is currently home to 16,342 registered co-ops. MCSC chose to join the ICA “because of ICA’s global leadership in promoting cooperative values, sustainable development, and inclusive economic growth”, and wishes to become part of this “powerful international network, amplifying the voice of cooperatives and influencing policy frameworks”.
The ICA now has 332 members, of which 47 are Associate Members and 277 are Full Members from106 countries
