Desjardins Group, Canada's largest cooperative financialinstitution, has joined the Filene Research Institute as a GoldBenefactor to help examine consumer and policy issues impactingcooperatively held organizations, their owners, and consumers.

Gold Benefactor donors invest $50,000 each year with Filene,according to the institute.

Filene and Desjardins will work together on research andinnovation projects that advance the interests of consumers andcredit unions, the groups said.

“Desjardins serves its members so well and represents one of themost advanced examples of how cooperative finance can thrive in themodern economy,” said Mark Meyer, CEO of Filene in Madison, Wis.

“We are excited that the research aims of the Desjardins Groupalign so closely with ours, and we look forward to working togetherto chart a path for a sustainable cooperative credit union future,”Meyer said.

Monique Leroux, Desjardins chair of the board and president/CEO, is alsolooking forward to the collaboration.

“Through our actions, we want to create a solid and unitedcooperative movement. At Desjardins we believe in cooperation. Itis in our DNA. It is our past and our future,” Leroux said.

“Filene shares our commitment to creating projects that fostereducation, cooperation, and personal engagement,” Leroux added.

Meyer said the organizations working together is a renewal of arelationship that began 100 years ago when Edward Filene andAlphonse Desjardins first met to discuss the future of cooperativefinancial opportunities.

“Although the Canadian and U.S. credit union systems forgeddifferent paths, today it is essential to reinvigorate ourrelationships so that we may more easily collaborate in thefuture,” Meyer said.

Desjardins has $194 billion in assets, 422 caisses in itsnetwork and 5.6 million members throughout Quebec and Ontario,Canada.