Overview
- The 57th EACB Assembly convened a session at Cajamar’s Las Palmerillas research center in El Ejido with around 100 cooperative banking representatives.
- Leaders from BCC-Grupo Cajamar and the EACB said cooperative banks should continue to expand and serve as a backbone for European, national and local economies.
- Speakers stressed proximity finance and mutual support as drivers of sustainable development in rural areas through financing for the agri-food sector, SMEs and families.
- Governor José Luis Escrivá said cooperative banks sustained credit to small businesses and the self-employed when other lenders pulled back, with profitability on par with the sector and stronger solvency.
- Escrivá flagged size, governance and digitalization as key challenges, as Cajamar highlighted its agri-innovation ecosystem that pairs financing with knowledge transfer.