The World Council of Credit Unions (Woccu) has opened nominations for its GWLN and Wycup scholarships, and its digital growth and distinguished service awards.
Scholarships
The Global Women’s Leadership Network (GWLN) scholarship and World Young Credit Union Professionals (Wycup) scholarships “offer career-elevating experiences designed for leaders within the international credit union community”, says Woccu.
GWLN, which supports Woccu’s efforts to advance women in leadership positions, offers annual scholarships for women working across the global co-operative finance sector.
The awardees will receive a fully funded opportunity to attend the 2026 World Credit Union Conference (WCUC) in Sydney, Australia (19-22July), including air fare, accommodations and registration.
Recipients will take part in GWLN activities, meet supporters and Sister Society leaders and engage with the broader WCUC delegation. Their learning journey will include interactive sessions, peer exchanges and participation in the 2026 GWLN Lunch & Learn breakout event.
Marking its 25th anniversary, Wycup will give scholarship recipients the change to attend WCUC 2026 in Sydney and join the Emerging Leaders’ Summit on 19 July, followed by a reception bringing together executives, innovators and young change makers under 40 from more than 70 countries.
Wycup scholarships cover transportation, lodging and registration expenses, granting access to exclusive gatherings, global networking and professional growth opportunities.
The application deadline for both programmes is 30 January; more details here.
Awards
Woccu’ss 2026 Distinguished Service Award honours those “who have provided outstanding service to credit union development outside their home country”.
The apex adds that “Individual recipients are those whose actions have significantly benefited global credit union development, while institutional recipients are organisations that have provided financial or technical assistance to develop international credit union movements and their service infrastructures over an extended period of time”.
The nomination process is fully digital and can be completed online. Nominations must be made by a Woccumember organisation or a credit union affiliated with a member organisation by 6 March.
Meanwhile, the Digital Growth Award will recognise one or more member credit union associations or individual member credit unions for “successfully working toward expanding digital transformation across the globe”.
Woccu says nominees must show they have implemented a digital solution that is:
- Inclusive: It expanded financial inclusion by reaching members of underserved communities.
- Innovative: It was groundbreaking for your organization by reducing costs, streamlining operations or improving member experience.
- Scalable: It can be scaled up for use or replication by other credit union associations or credit unions in your country or region.
Again, the deadline is 6 March and nominations must be submitted here by a Woccu member association, or a credit union affiliated with one of those associations.
An independent panel of judges comprised of digital financial experts in the credit union and technology sectors will evaluate all nominations and select the recipients.
Recipients of both awards will receive one free registration to WCUC, where the presentation ceremony will be held.
Pictured: The recipients of last year’s Wycup scholarships
