By Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Oct. 16, 2025

   Belize is joining the other countries worldwide in celebrating International Credit Union Day, which is recognized on Thursday, October 16, under the theme, “Cooperation for a Prosperous World.”

   The International Day was first recognized in 1948 when credit unions around the world came together on the third Thursday in October and decided to honor the history and achievements of the credit union movement.

   “It is a day where credit unions celebrate their achievements. They look at history and show appreciation for their members and staff. They look at their involvement, for what they have done within the community, and it’s a time for the credit union to celebrate what the credit unions have done in the country,” said Jacqueline Tiabo, Compliance Officer at the Belize Credit Union League.

   Credit unions have made a name for themselves after the first one was founded in the mid-1800s, as it was created for unserved and underserved populations.

   “Credit unions are different [because] the people who bank with us are member-owners, and they have a voice in what happens at their credit union. The Credit Union Cooperative philosophy is about people helping people, and so we’re a group of people who put our money together and assist each other. It’s all about assisting those who might not be able to bank anywhere else, and we’re all about the smaller persons within the community,” Tiabo mentioned.

   “… The same philosophy they started with, ‘people helping people,’ continues even today; and so, with a credit union, it doesn’t matter if you have a hundred dollars or a million dollars, you are treated the same way. We recommend everyone to get a credit union account, because it’s like a family that you join, and they walk with you from the cradle to the grave,” she added.

   Belize has eight identifiable credit unions nationwide with over 160,000 members and assets of over 1.5 billion dollars. After the first being officially formed over two centuries ago, an estimated 85,000 credit unions have been established.