Who We Are – Our Story
OAS FCU was born from a simple but powerful idea: people taking care of people. In 1962, a small group of colleagues across the Americas came together to provide a solution to their shared needs, which traditional banks were unable or unwilling to meet. What began as a cooperative for employees of the Organization of American States has grown into a global community of more than 8,500 members from over 38 partner organizations—including National Geographic, CAF, and IICA—bringing trusted financial services to professionals who live and work both in the U.S. and abroad.
Who We Are Today
Today, we are proud to serve members whose lives cross borders—people who travel, relocate, and need their finances to move with them. With more than $290+ million in assets, our strength is built on trust, cooperation, and the belief that every member deserves a financial partner who listens, supports, and empowers them.
From the very beginning, our focus has been the financial well-being of our members. Six decades later, that commitment is stronger than ever.
OAS FCU is inclusive by nature and solutions-driven by design. As a member-owned cooperative, we exist to serve people—not shareholders. We listen, adapt, and stand by our members in both good times and challenging times.
More Than Banking
At OAS FCU, it’s not just about accounts and loans—it’s about relationships. Every interaction is personal, because we see our members as part of our extended family. We celebrate your milestones, stand by you through challenges and help you make confident financial decisions wherever life takes you.
Our Purpose
From day one, our mission has been clear: to put the financial well-being of our members first. More than 60 years later, that promise continues to guide every product, every service, and every decision we make.
Our Mission
To deliver the best member experience by combining our distinctive personalized services with relevant technologies.
Our Vision
To provide tailor-made global financial solutions while cultivating a trusted partnership for life.
Our Approach
Personalized solutions: We take the time to understand your financial goals and design services that fit your life.
Technology that connects: Secure, accessible tools no matter where you live.
Global reach, human touch: A cooperative spirit that makes the world feel smaller and more supportive.
Cooperative values: Fairness, empathy, and trust in every interaction.
Our Values in Action
We live by the principles that make cooperatives different:
Service and Empathy: Listening first, supporting always.
Trust and Stability: Sound decisions for long-term security.
Innovation with Purpose: Tools that make life easier, not complicated.
Community and Culture: Diversity, inclusion, and belonging at the heart of what we do.
Performance: Constantly improving and adapting to your needs.
Communication: Transparent, accessible, and ready to share knowledge.
Team Spirit: Respect and collaboration in a welcoming environment.
What Makes Us Different
OAS FCU is more than a financial institution—we’re a community. Our members often describe us as family: a place where you’re known by name, where your needs come first, and where trust guides everything we do.
Whether you’re opening your first savings account, financing a home, or managing finances from abroad, we’re here to support you with the personalized attention of a local credit union and the reach of a global institution.
For over six decades, OAS FCU has combined the warmth of a small cooperative with the scope of a global financial partner—and we’re just getting started.
Looking Ahead
Together, anything is possible.
As we continue to grow, OAS FCU remains committed to delivering world-class financial services with the human touch of a cooperative. Every step forward is rooted in the same spirit that brought us together in 1962: people helping people.
We are dedicated to supporting the financial well-being of our members.
Join us today and experience the difference that comes with being part of OAS FCU — a community built on trust, care, and cooperation.
We’re global.
Serving members around the world with solutions that move with you.
You’re not just banking — you’re building a future.
Every account, every choice, every action strengthens our shared community.
Together, we create solutions that put people before profits.
Turning everyday finances into lasting well-being.
Your membership is more than an account — it’s belonging.
Belonging to a community that values trust over profit, care over numbers, and well-being above all else.
Discover Our Story
People helping people — it’s how it all began.
OAS FCU was founded in 1962 by colleagues from across the Americas who believed in one simple idea: people helping people.
More than six decades later, we’ve grown into a global cooperative with thousands of members in over 38 partner organizations — and one shared purpose: to support the financial well-being of our members with trust, care, and cooperative values that put people first.
Our Values
The cooperative principles that guide every decision we make — service, transparency, empathy, and shared growth.
Our Annual Report
See how we’re growing stronger, more sustainable, and more connected each year.
Our Volunteers
Meet the dedicated members who help lead and represent our cooperative across borders.
Special Message
A note from our leadership — looking back with pride, and forward with purpose.
Our Story Through the Decades
Our Beginning
In 1962, OAS FCU was born from a shared need among employees of the Organization of American States (OAS). Banks could not always meet the unique realities of an international workforce, so a group of colleagues came together to create their own cooperative. What began as a modest initiative quickly became a movement grounded in solidarity, trust, and a vision of financial independence.
Building Community
As membership grew, so did our sense of identity. The credit union became not just a place to save or borrow, but a community where members looked after one another. The foundation of our values—service, mutual support, and belonging—was strengthened during this decade, inspiring us to think beyond numbers and focus on people.
Expanding Horizons
The 1980s brought new opportunities and challenges. Technology began to shape the way financial services were delivered, and we adapted with determination. Our expansion was not only geographic but also symbolic: we started serving members wherever they lived and worked, making “global” part of who we are.
A Global Credit Union
During this decade, our reach truly extended beyond borders. Serving members outside the United States became a defining part of our identity. Every new branch, service, and innovation carried with it the same promise: to accompany our members wherever life took them. By the end of the 1990s, OAS FCU had transformed into a credit union with a worldwide footprint.
Innovation and Growth
The new millennium brought rapid technological change, and we embraced it to serve our members better. Online banking, electronic transfers, and modernized services were introduced, ensuring that distance was no barrier to financial access. This decade also marked steady financial growth, strengthening our ability to give back to members and remain true to our cooperative roots.
Strengthening Partnerships
In 2018, we welcomed the National Geographic Society Federal Credit Union into our family, a moment that reflected our collaborative spirit and capacity to grow while honoring shared values. By then, we served more than 6,500 members around the world, supported by assets surpassing $200 million. These milestones demonstrated not only institutional growth but the trust and loyalty of our global community.
Sixty Years of Belonging
Today, with more than $218 million in assets, OAS FCU celebrates six decades of service, belonging, and community. Our members are professionals, families, and dreamers who live across continents but are united by the same cooperative spirit. Sixty years later, the DNA that inspired our founding—solidarity, trust, and a belief in financial empowerment—remains at the heart of everything we do. And as we look to the future, our history continues to guide and inspire us.