World CU Conference Coverage: Winners of Digital Growth Awards Named; Board Election Results Announced

SYDNEY, Australia–During its Annual General Meeting, the World Council presented its 2026 Digital Growth Awards, which recognize initiatives that demonstrate inclusivity, innovation and scale in using technology to expand access to financial services.

The winners included:

• Chandragiri Savings and Credit Cooperative Ltd. of Nepal was honored for a community-focused digital ecosystem that combines mobile banking, QR payments, remittances and tablet-based doorstep services. Its tablet-banking program alone has facilitated 765,000 transactions, helping reach people who cannot easily visit a service center, WOCCU said.
• Coopenae R.L. of Costa Rica received an award for WINK, a digital platform that allows individuals to open accounts through a mobile app using biometric identity verification and simplified onboarding. The platform is designed to reach young adults, gig workers, freelancers and people living outside major urban centers, according to WOCCU.
• Vietnam Cooperative Bank received the Digital Growth Award for Sustained Excellence for scaling an integrated digital ecosystem that connects banking services, social payments and national identification systems. The initiative helps deliver pensions and social assistance to older adults, vulnerable populations and people in remote communities, WOCCU said.

Board Changes

At the Annual General Meeting, delegates elected George Ombado, executive director of the African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations (ACCOSCA), to a second three-year term on the board, and elected Ricardo Lopez and Paul Norgrove as newly elected directors. Lopez will serve a three-year term, while Norgrove will serve out a two-year term vacancy.

Joe Thomas, CEO of Apple Federal Credit Union in Virginia, has been elected as WOCCU’s new chair (see related story here).