Factors that may[weasel words] have contributed to the Mouvement's success were the catastrophic economic situation during the Great Depression, the minority status of the Acadians, and the dedication of its proponents, who included Livain Chiasson and first president, Martin J. Légère.

The Fédération became a single administrative entity with the merger of its 15 individual credit unions (caisses), operating 51 business locations from its headquarters in Caraquet.

Community involvement focuses mainly on education and youth, the institution giving nearly $2.1 million in 2016 in the form of scholarships,[2] donations and sponsorships.

The recommendations in the commission report, published two years later, included setting up an adult education system and providing financial support for efforts to organize.

It prescribed rural reform through collective education involving various sectors of the economy, also acknowledging the important roles of the clergy and women.

Information was also circulated in media publications, including L’Évangéline, which presented cooperation as the only means of distributing wealth.

Agronomists also promoted cooperative principles at farmers’ circles and agricultural societies, and in 1935 called for legislation to be passed allowing the establishment of credit unions.

According to Jean Daigle, the success of the cooperatives was due not only to the catastrophic economic circumstances and the dedication of their proponents but also to the minority status of the Acadians.

The League wanted to bring together credit unions and caisses populaires across the province, and set up an education committee in 1941.

In January 1945, a New Brunswick Credit Union meeting held at the Université du Sacré-Cœur in Bathurst decided to separate the League into two sections, one English-speaking and one French-Speaking.

A copy of the original charter, issued by the Department of Agriculture, hangs today at the headquarters of UNI Financial Cooperation.

The SACPA's sole function at that time was to provide universal group coverage of member loans, savings, and shares in the caisses populaires.

[1] Cooperation with Les Caisses Desjardins became closer, beginning in 1966 when the latter began assisting with staff training and accounting management was harmonized.

In 1986, the debit card La Populaire was introduced when the first automated teller machine (ATM) was installed in Edmundston and the Fédération joined the Interac network.

[1] The Fédération continued to grow, with phase I of its current headquarters, Place de l’Acadie, opening its doors in 1978.

Also that year, the Fédération des Caisses populaires became the first financial institution in the province to put in place a direct payment system based on use of bank cards.

[1] In 2006, Place de l’Acadie was renamed Édifice Martin-J.-Légère on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Fédération des Caisses populaires acadiennes.

In April 2016, the Caisse populaire acadienne ltée unveiled a new corporate image, adopted at its annual general meeting in Moncton.

On May 30, 2016, to mark its 80th anniversary, the Caisse officially adopted this image, featuring a new operating name, UNI Financial Cooperation, and logo.

On January 1, 2017, Camille H. Thériault retired as chief executive officer and Robert Moreau stepped into his role.

Changes in UNI Financial Cooperation's structure, and caisse mergers, enabled the merging of multiple folios and more accurate determination of member numbers.

UNI Financial Cooperation operates 51 business locations and two support institutions: the Fondation des Caisses populaires acadiennes and the Conseil acadien de la coopération.

It also processes deposits and direct withdrawals, provides Personal Property Registry services and manages title insurance records.

[14] Among many sponsorships, the Fédération des Caisses populaires acadiennes and the SACPA became main sponsors of the Jeux de l’Acadie in 1987.

[1] In 1996, the institution marked its 50th anniversary with the adoption of a new corporate image and acquisition of the Collection du cinquantième, a series of contemporary art works depicting key events in the history of Acadia.

In 2003, Caisses populaires acadiennes purchased a collection of 10 works entitled Les Légendes de l’Acadie by Michel Duguay.

In 2016, the UNI Community was established to support and finance projects promoting the visibility of New Brunswick and well-being of its people.