Credit Unions Unite Behind New Research and Advocacy Project to Drive Sector Growth

Friday 13 June 2025

This week, credit union leaders and sector partners from across Britain gathered in Manchester to mark the launch of an ambitious new research and advocacy project that aims to double credit union membership by 2035.

The initiative — led by the Swoboda Research Centre and the New Economics Foundation, with support from the Aviva Foundation — is designed to strengthen the credit union movement’s role in tackling financial exclusion and improving access to fair, ethical finance for communities nationwide.

The project team set out the project’s ambition:

• To develop a strategic vision for credit unions in 2035
• To support the inclusion of 1.5 million new members
• To define the roadmap, tools and partnerships needed to get there

The research project will use collaborative methods over the next two years, drawing input from a wide range of credit unions and external stakeholders.

The launch event opened with a warm welcome from Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, who praised the credit union sector’s role in building strong, values-driven financial alternatives.

Throughout the day, attendees engaged in collaborative discussions and heard insights from sector leaders on how this project will define the vision, strategy, and tools needed for credit unions to thrive over the next decade.

Speaking at the event, Dr Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation, described the project as “a call to action to reimagine the role of credit unions in Britain’s financial future.”

Danny added: “We urgently need to redesign our economy to be fairer and more inclusive. At NEF, we have long believed that Credit Unions can make a critical to financial inclusion in Britain and so I am very pleased to be part of this ambitious effort to grow the sector and its positive impact in society.”

Director Dr Paul Jones is one of the Project Directors who presented at the launch. Paul said “I was previously a co-author of a research paper in 1998 which helped stimulate major change in Credit Unions which were languishing at that time. I am excited to be part of the team undertaking this pivotal research so we can welcome the next generation of Credit Union members in 2035.”

ABCUL thanks the Swoboda Research Centre, the New Economics Foundation, and all contributors for supporting this important and timely work.