Caisse populaire acadienne ltée, operating as UNI Financial Cooperation (French: UNI Coopération financière), is a Francophone credit union (French: caisse populaire) based in New Brunswick, Canada whose members are primarily Acadians. UNI's administrative headquarters are in Caraquet on the Acadian Peninsula.
The Fédération des caisses populaires acadiennes (the Fédération) was founded on December 3, 1946, shortly after the New Brunswick Credit Union League, created in 1938 as part of the popular Antigonish Movement, was divided into two separate entities. Factors that may have contributed to the Mouvement's success were the catastrophic economic situation during the Great Depression, the minority status of the Acadians, and the dedication of its proponents, who included Livain Chiasson and first president, Martin J. Légère.
In 2014, the Mouvement des caisses populaires acadiennes (the Mouvement), comprising the Fédération, its supporting institutions and subsidiaries, adopted a “collective bridging” (merger) project resolution. 91% of members were in favour when the change was put to a vote. The Fédération became a single administrative entity with the merger of its 15 individual credit unions (caisses), operating 51 business locations from its headquarters in Caraquet.As of December 31, 2016, UNI Financial Cooperation had 155,000 members and CA$3.8 billion in assets. Community involvement focuses mainly on education and youth, the institution giving nearly $2.1 million in 2016 in the form of scholarships, donations and sponsorships. The current chair of the Board of Directors is Pierre-Marcel Desjardins. Robert Moreau became Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2017.
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