Capital soundness and social ownership

Towards a different model

For a cooperative, the words capital, assets, loans have a very high social significance, which goes beyond the Civil Code to affirm a different model, based on the value of participation.

Engagement with members to ensure that they play a leading role within the cooperative is a constant commitment, embracing not only economic and corporate affairs but also aspects of cultural involvement and social responsibility.
As in 2020, many of our usual activities related to social participation were suspended or reorganised in alternative ways due to the pandemic during 2021. However, while some in-person initiatives had to be dispensed with, the canonical projects aimed at ensuring timely information to members continued, such as our company newspaper duepunti, our Sustainability Report and our budget meetings and general assemblies (held when necessary in virtual mode, as in the case of territorial meetings).
In addition, income support for our worker members never stopped, and € 202,309 was disbursed in the form of worker loans during 2021.

Member loan accounts and capital soundness

Members are able to invest in the cooperative directly through loan accounts, which constitute a primary source of funding, an input for growing the business and above all confirmation of the member base’s trust in the company. As the results achieved demonstrate, the cooperative is constantly committed to improving the security of shareholder members’ deposits and the return on their savings.
While the articles of association specify a maximum ceiling of three times the cooperative's net equity for member loans (in line with the legal parameters) at present Camst’s net equity is almost 9 times above the minimum required, proving the high degree of protection enjoyed by these investments.
In the light of these data, and considering the actions taken to guarantee the company’s liquidity and continued operation, it is clear that savings invested with the cooperative enjoy a risk/return ratio hard to find elsewhere on the market.