The Centre for Community Finance Europe holds its first online conference

Tuesday 23 January 2024

 The Centre for Community Finance Europe (CFCFE) held its second conference of 2020 on Tuesday 22 September – but instead of the usual hotel venue, this time it was entirely online.  

 Over 100 people from Irish and UK credit unions, trade associations, regulators and government attended, via Zoom, to hear a range of presentations including an evaluation of the economic outlook by Brian Corr, Head of Policy at the Department of Finance in the Irish Government, the experience of using revolving credit in the USA by the consultant John Gregoire, and a CEO panel debate.  

The theme of the day was ‘Planning for the New Normal’. The morning session focused on looking ahead to think about strategies for the future, while the afternoon looked more specifically at lending – current credit risk data for the sector, the management of declines and how to effectively offer revolving credit. There was notable interest from delegates in credit union collaboration, and CUSOs, as part of future plans and development.  

 A feature of CFCFE conferences has been facilitating attendees to engage in substantive discussion with each other: this time, Zoom’s breakout functionality was used to enable small groups, which feedback suggests was very effective. Ciara Davies, CEO of Metro Moneywise Credit Union, was a participant on the day and said: “A really stimulating event with a great range of speakers. CFCFE managed to recreate on-line the buzz you get from attending an in-person event, which has provided me with lots of ideas and a much-needed boost.” One CEO commented that due to health issues she was unable to attend a conference that required travel, so an online event enabled her to participate.  

 Dr Paul A. Jones, CFCFE’s Director of Research, noted: “We had some trepidation about convening online, but we’re delighted with how it went and with the very positive feedback we have received. Apart from the learning opportunities offered at our conferences, we want to support solidarity across the movement, and this event has definitely helped build new relationships.” 

The presentations and other materials can be viewed at www.cfcfe.eu/events.