Minister of State, Sean Fleming said: “The Government, and I, as Minister of State with responsibility for credit unions, welcome the important work credit unions are doing to support communities throughout Ireland at this difficult time.

“Credit unions have been designated as an ‘essential service’ by the Government and have remained open throughout the pandemic, providing support to vulnerable members and members experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the pandemic. As a volunteer movement based at the heart of both rural and urban communities, credit unions are well positioned to provide access to credit to support the recovery from the current crisis.”

In part, this support has been enabled by the Current Account and Debit Card from Credit Unions.

Many Credit Unions across Ireland recently came together, under the currentaccount.ie brand, to roll-out the full-service Current Account for Credit Union members, with over 2,000 sign-ups in Tullamore alone. During Covid-19, members at participating Credit Unions across Ireland could instantly avail of mobile app and online banking; an overdraft facility; and the increased contactless €50 limit, while avoiding a separate ‘tap fee’ for everyday purchases.

Tullamore Credit Union has also been helping to sustain other local businesses in the town throughout these challenging times. At the start of this period, it established a Loyalty Scheme to help encourage its members to buy local and support local businesses.

Over 20 local businesses in the town have signed up to the scheme to offer Credit Union members discounts or special offers when they use their Credit Union Current Account debit card. Those participating are displaying the scheme’s distinctive purple sign in their windows.

CEO of Tullamore Credit Union, Dennis Daly said: “The importance of Credit Unions to local communities throughout Ireland was highlighted during the height of the pandemic. Credit Unions remained open and people realised that you can do so much more with Credit Unions that perhaps you might think.

“Our members were able to benefit from the recent introduction of the current account and debit card – meaning they could now do all their day-to-day banking through the Credit Union.

“These additional services have been enabled through cooperation and collaboration by Credit Unions, who have come together to develop products and services to support our members better, and to continue to support our communities. Our recent loyalty scheme initiative is another example of where Credit Unions are continuing to support communities through cooperation”.