Birmingham, 8 May 2025 – The European Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB) held a highly successful second edition of its Global Cooperative Banking Forum, as part of the Annual Conference of the Building Societies Association (BSA) in Birmingham. This year’s event coincided with a historic milestone – the 250th anniversary of the world’s first building society, widely regarded as the cradle of the British mutual lending movement.
Under the theme “Expanding Cooperative and Mutual Banking: Shaping More Resilient and Sustainable Economies”, the forum brought together over a thousand participants from around the word. Business leaders, regulators, academics and experts convened to explore how cooperative and mutual banking can scale in a rapidly changing global economy while staying true to their core identity and values.
Robin Fieth, Chief Executive of the BSA, remarked: “Hosting the 2nd EACB Global Cooperative Banking Forum during the 250th anniversary of the building society movement is both symbolic and significant. It reflects our shared commitment to cooperative values and our growing global voice.”
EACB CEO Nina Schindler thanked the Forum’s host and its Chief Executive Robin Fieth: “This event is a tangible sign of the strong ties that connect the EACB and BSA”. She further emphasised the global relevance of cooperative banking: “To meet today’s unprecedented need for large-scale investment, we need a strong, diverse and inclusive financial sector. Diversity in banking is not a luxury – it is a necessity. Cooperative and mutual banks, with their unfailing focus on long-term value creation for members, are uniquely positioned to foster inclusive growth, social cohesion and economic resilience.”
Recent developments in the cooperative and mutual sector featured prominently in the discussions. These included the UK Government’s pledge to doubling the size of the cooperative and mutual economy, presented by Emma Reynolds MP, Economic Secretary to the Treasury. Debbie Crosbie, CEO of Nationwide, reflected in her keynote the importance of mutual and cooperative banks evolving to meet the needs of new generations.
Moderated by Baroness Nicky Morgan, the first panel, “Cooperative and Mutual Banking: Perspectives for Expansion”, featured David Murano (Deputy Director General, Caja Ingenieros, Spain), Steve Laidlaw (Chief Executive, People First Bank, Australia), and Ms Crosbie. They explored current and future strategies for sector growth, with a focus on maintaining local trust and cooperative governance while scaling impact. Professor Barbara Casu (University of London) added an academic lens, highlighting the role of a diversified banking landscape in supporting financial stability, also with a view to maintaining credit supply.
In the second half of the Forum, regulation took centre stage. Rodney Hood, Acting Comptroller of the Currency (Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, USA), addressed the evolving role of regulation in supporting financial inclusion and systemic resilience. A second panel on “Cooperative, Mutuals, and Community Banks in the 21st Century - Regulation and Mission ” brought together senior executives from leading cooperative banks: Vincent Maagdenberg (Chief Risk Officer, Rabobank, Netherlands), Harri Nummela (Deputy to the President and CEO, OP Financial Group, Finland), and Marcus Barboza (Chief Risk Officer, Sicredi, Brazil). They examined the balance between compliance and innovation, while keeping proximity, long-term member value, and democratic governance at the heart of their operations.
A recurring theme was the urgent need for regulatory frameworks that recognise and support diverse banking models, ensuring cooperative and mutual institutions can thrive without disadvantage.
Priscille Szeradzki, President of the EACB, closed on an optimistic note: “Together, proximity and solidarity at the root of cooperative and mutual banks are needed in a world marked by shaking alliances and digital and climate change accelerations. These fast changes risk increasing society fragmentation. The link cooperative and mutual banks create between finance and people is essential. Our structural diversity is a safeguard against systemic risk. Our values give answers to people seeking meaning in the financial system”.