YPs tour Curitiba, get first glimpse at Sicredi branch

The group is assembled and the World Council of Credit Unions Young Professional Exchange is ready to kick off its week in Curitiba, Brazil.

After a good night’s sleep, the young professionals were ready to hit the ground running and begin learning on Monday.

The 14 delegates from the World Council of Credit Unions Young Professional Exchange played tourist and saw the sights in Curitiba, Brazil.

The group also visited a SICREDI branch. SICREDI is a financial cooperative in Brazil that allows credit unions to share branding, back office services, a common information technology platform, and accounting systems.

“They have a structure that encourages collaboration, and it brings out the best examples that credit unions have to offer,” says Thom Belekvich, World Council program manager. “It highlights this as an example of the power of collaboration, and what’s possible when a group of credit unions make that decision and that commitment to come together and work for something larger.”

One thing was evident from the visit to the SICREDI branch: Credit unions in Brazil have a lot in common with credit unions in the United States.

After an orientation session, the group had lunch with representatives from SICREDI.
Learning where Sicredi has locations in Curitiba.
The group also took a tour of Curitiba, Brazil.
The city has lots of parks. And palm trees.