Vienna: Shri Ambika Prasad Das, a prominent Odia Co-operative activist and Director of the NAFSCB and OSCB participated in the board meeting and cooperative congress of the International Raiffeisen Union (IRU) on 22 October in Vienna.
IRU is a worldwide voluntary association of national co-operative organizations. More than 900,000 co-operatives with approx. 800 million members in over 100 countries are associated with IRU.
Shri Das contributed his expertise to the discussion on the use of artificial intelligence in the banking sector and methods for cyber crime control, expressing his informed views on these pressing digital age issues.
Shri Das along with representatives from countries including the Netherlands, Austria, Paraguay, Switzerland, Thailand, Belgium, Italy, Germany, and Luxembourg attended the IRU board meeting.
Shri Bhima Subramaniam, MD of NAFSCB and President of ICBA, also participated in the discussion in the Board and provided an update on the work and initiatives of the ICBA.
The meeting is being held as 2025 is celebrated as the International Year of Cooperatives, and discussions focused on a broad range of topics critical to the sector’s future.
Comprehensive deliberations were held on social impact and community development in the co-operative sector, achieving economic prosperity for people through multi-faceted cooperative systems, ensuring the autonomy of co-operative organizations, and maintaining an ethical banking system. A future roadmap for the sector was also prepared.
A senior Austrian co-operative leader shared insights into the success of the Austrian co-operative system, highlighting how active member participation, proper training, and a focus on rural development have strengthened their cooperatives.
The event will continue with the Co-operative Congress organized by the Austrian Co-operatives on the 23 October, where further important issues, including the protection of public assets in the digital financial system, will be discussed.