About the MCU

Maleny and District Community Credit Union Limited (MCU) is the holder of Australian Financial Services Licence 246921 and is an authorised deposit taking institution (ADI) regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority (APRA). Under Depositor Priority Legislation, investors are afforded the same protection that extends to banks.

From humble beginnings MCU has been successfully operating as a community based credit union since 1984. With approximately 4,500 owner members, MCU’s total assets have grown to more than $41 million. MCU offers its members a range of services including on-call savings accounts, term deposits, lending services, insurance and non-cash payment facilities including VISA debit cards, internet banking, electronic funds transfer, BPAY and cheque facilities.

The MCU Board of Directors are committed to long-term sustainability and believe the credit union has social and environmental obligations in addition to providing sound financial management. MCU practices “triple bottom line” reporting as a way of measuring progress and ensuring accountability against its sustainability targets.

While there are other financial institutions in Maleny the deposits we raise from members are primarily reinvested back into the community using locally developed policies. By performing this role we help to prevent the leakage of capital from our bioregion.

MCU practices socially responsible investment by:

• advancing loans to the local community for environmentally sustainable purposes;
• gifting up to 10% of pre-tax profit in the form of community grants;
• applying ethical screens when investing liquid funds and
• fostering micro finance groups.

While a relatively small organisation, MCU actively partners with other organisations to drive a more proactive community approach to sustainability.

MCU was awarded the “Air Quality Award” by the Sunshine Coast Environmental Council (SCEC) in 2003 and was a finalist in the 2004 Banksia Awards for “Leadership in Socially Responsible Investment”.