The Belize Credit Union League Limited (BCUL) was established in 1956 under section the Credit Union Act, No. 7 of 2002 Part XII section 80. BCUL is an association of Credit Unions and was established to further the Credit Union movement’s common interests through advocacy, bulk purchasing, and training for the benefit of its members. The philosophy of BCUL is that by working together the credit union movement will become strong and possess the necessary skills to be able to provide products and services for its members.
The Belize Credit Union League has the power to institute and implement measures to enable its member Credit Union to always carry on their operations in a manner that will ensure the protection of their members’ interests. The scope of BCUL’s activities is but not limited to the following:
- Conducting, encouraging, and assisting educational and advisory work relating
to member Credit Unions. - Improving methods of management of member Credit Unions and standardizing their record keeping, accounting and other procedures.
- Reducing operating costs of member Credit Unions by arranging for group services; and
- Rendering to its members consultative and any other services incidental to its objectives.
In addition to representing local Credit Unions nationally, Belize Credit Union League also represents affiliated Credit Unions regionally to the Caribbean Confederation of Credit Unions (CCCU). The CCCU is a non-profit organization which serves as the apex organization for Credit Unions throughout the Caribbean. It is through the CCCU that local Credit Unions are represented internationally to the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU).
“WOCCU is the global trade association and development agency for credit unions. WOCCU advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation. Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen Credit Unions’ financial performance and increase their outreach” (WOCCU).
Every Credit Union in Belize can become a member of Belize Credit Union League and eleven of the twelve Credit Unions presently registered Belize are currently members of Belize Credit Union League.