The United Nations Headquarters in New York hosted the International Symposium of the International Cooperative Banking Association (ICBA). This two-day event brought together Ariel Guarco, President of the ICA; José Alves de Souza Neto, President of Cooperatives of the Americas; and Jeroen Douglas, ICA Director General; as well as national representatives to the United Nations and high-level delegates from around the world.
All of them had the opportunity to attend presentations and debates by more than 50 speakers, moderators, and panelists. Notable among them were the presentations by Marian Trompetter, Chair of the Board of the Rabobank cooperative, and Mirjan ’t Lam, CEO of Oikocredit International, as well as other specific contributions on taxation by Professor María Amparo Grau Ruiz; on the defense of international regulation by Erin O’Hern, representative of WOCCU; and on ecosystem cooperatives by Jeroo Billimoria, representative of the One Family Foundation.
During the symposium, three interconnected thematic dimensions were analyzed, reflecting the priorities of the ICA 2026–2030 Strategy and the constantly evolving realities faced by cooperative financial institutions: competitiveness and access to capital; investment and impact; and governance and people-centered approaches.
“Today, the global economy must adapt to unprecedented technological advances as well as increasingly significant inequalities, which is why the importance of cooperative financial institutions has never been greater,” said Bhima Subrahmanyam, President of the ICBA, in his opening speech.
The president stated that “inclusive and equitable growth is not simply an economic goal; it is a social commitment, a democratic aspiration, and a moral responsibility.”
Subrahmanyam emphasized that the cooperative movement has historically emerged in contexts seeking dignity, economic justice, and self-sufficiency, and explained that the strength of cooperative financial institutions (CFIs) “lies in their physical proximity, but also in their deep connection with people.” He therefore stressed that in many economies, particularly in rural areas, CFIs “remain the first and most reliable point of access to formal finance.”
The ICBA President called on delegates to consider a series of important policy measures, such as the creation of regulatory frameworks that recognize the specific nature and development role of CFIs, as well as the adoption of shared digital infrastructure and better integration into cross-sector national development strategies.
