I had an OpEd published Thursday in the Vancouver Sun. On the occasion of International Credit Union Day, it speaks to the declining number of traditional credit unions in BC. I reproduce the text here for those who may have missed it. ——————————————————————————————————————————- On International Credit Union Day, it’s worth remembering a few things about […]
As this is International Credit Union Day it may be the right time to speak up about the roots of our credit unions, and the ‘revolutionary’ role they play in the larger political economy. This is most evident in developing countries, such as Ghana, where one of our staff at CCEC recently visited. But it […]
The recent proposals from the federal government to reduce certain tax advantages available to small business has met strident resistance from those who may have to pay more tax, and from others who just want to slag the Minister. The Minister has argued that the special provisions give too many benefits to the very wealthy. […]
Today’s announcement from seven credit unions in the BC interior is a shocker and clear evidence that smaller, up country credit unions are in a strategic bind. The announcement says that formal talks are underway to explore the potential for a merger of the seven credit unions; Columbia Valley, Creston, East Kootenay, Grand Forks, Heritage, Kootenay […]
Central 1 is now canvasing credit unions on what the ‘mandatory’ director training program should look like. The survey is well thought out and to be welcomed, but the implications and the potential conflicts of interests need to be considered. The current one year Credit Union Director Achievement (CUDA) program will be expanded into a […]
Real credit unions may have to reconsider their strategic options. History was made with the FICOM approval of the Coast Capital Saving application to be ‘continued’ as a Federal Credit Union (FCU). This action has the potential to totally restructure the BC credit union system. While the commission did say that would consider the impact […]
I recently stumbled upon two branches of the Apple Bank in New York. I wondered if this was the extension of ‘Apple Pay’. I was challenged to think about a potential ‘Google bank’ and what that might mean. (Just to be clear, I later learned that the Apple Bank in NYC has nothing to do […]
As the new Minister of Finance, Carole James, has several issues on her plate. The two simplest are getting attention, because they are listed in the direction given to her by the new premier. One is taxation, reversing the scheduled increase that faces large credit unions that no longer qualify as ‘small business’. And second, […]
Communications professionals know that you can sell something if you give it a good ‘modern’ or ‘contemporary’ brand identity. This is the spin we hear all the time regarding a ‘cashless society’. Apparently convenience means more than anything else. But there is a darker side to this proposition; the expanded role of large intermediaries (e.g. […]
The last few decades have seen a huge change in the ‘structure’ of our economy. Rana Foroohar provides an accessible overview of the USA economy in her book Makers and Takers. She notes that over the last thirty years finance, and financial engineering, have come to dominate the world of business and traditional ‘maker’ industries, […]