EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada-When Servus Credit Union here signed a formal partnership agreement with Caja Popular de Ahorros Yanga, S.C. de A.P. de R.L. de C.V., better known as Caja Yanga credit union, headquartered in Veracruz, Mexico, it marked the first direct relationship involving a Canadian credit union in WOCCU's International Partnerships Program. It's also the first direct relationship involving a natural-person Canadian credit union. Central 1 Credit Union of British Columbia, which is similar to a corporate CU in the U.S., and the Credit Union League of Hong Kong also have a relationship.
Servus and Caja Yanga first met in March of this year in Veracruz to examine Caja Yanga's outreach to rural communities and the success of WOCCU's PATMIR II project funded by the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing and Food (SAGARPA). The project has helped Caja Yanga grow its membership and strengthen its role as a financial institution.
Caja Yanga also has taken an additional member-service step outside of its partnership role as the pilot credit union for WOCCU's MatchSavings.org. Later, officialos with Caja Yanga visited with Servus CU in its home market, with a focus on learning more about deploying ATMs.
