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IGP's Financing Prosperity Network helps establish a Credit Union money saving scheme at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº

1 November 2021

The Institute for Global Prosperity’s Financing Prosperity Network (FPN) has collaborated with ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Human Resources and London Capital Credit Union to establish a salary saving scheme at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº.

Savings

All ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº staff will be able to join the credit union and designate a portion of their salary to be deducted and transferred directly to their own savings account. This will allow staff to save money, access affordable loans and support the credit union in its broader mission to provide more ethical forms of credit.

The credit union is a not-for-profit savings and loans co-operative dedicated to promoting saving rather than borrowing. It also provides low-cost loans at times of need. By reinvesting any surplus within the organization and its members, the credit union helps to build community wealth across London.

Community investment

The collaboration stemmed from a 2019 Financing Prosperity Network symposium - Financing Prosperity by Dealing with Debts. The event brought together members of the Network, including researchers from various academic disciplines and institutions, representatives from local government, charity and social enterprises, workers cooperatives and artists. One of the many ideas discussed at this event was greater use of credit unions as a more ethical form of finance. LCCU chief executive Martin Groombridge was delighted when Network leads Dr Christopher Harker and Dr Amy Horton subsequently contacted him about creating a formal partnership with ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. He had first tried to partner with ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº in 2012.

“We need to change finance to better support the diverse ways in which people prosper. This salary savings scheme offers ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's staff a chance to access and support a more ethical form of credit provision. I know that saving with the scheme will enable the credit union to expand its work with helping low income households escape from debt
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Dr Christopher Harker, Associate Professor & Financing Prosperity Network, Institute for Global Prosperity

I’m sure we will be able to make a huge difference to many staff currently struggling with debt and help by encouraging others to save so they do not face problems with cost of borrowing.“

Martin Groombridge, CEO, London Capital Credit Union


¹û¶³Ó°Ôº employees can join the scheme at

IGP’s Financing Prosperity Network seeks to develop pathways towards a more inclusive and sustainable economy. This includes promoting alternatives, such as credit unions, to current debt-based financial practices and systems. Many of these ideas will be explored in detail as part of the Institute’s autumn 2021 Soundbites and Seminars series, ‘Rethinking how we finance prosperity’.

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