Global Credit Union to open Utqiaġvik branch inside AC Stuaqpak in 2026

Utqiaġvik is set to gain a new kind of everyday convenience, a Global Credit Union branch inside AC Stuaqpak that is expected to open in June 2026 and give North Slope residents another in-town place for banking, account help and financial guidance.

Ukpeaġvik Iñupiat Corporation said it began working with Global Credit Union in December 2024, and the partnership now points to a physical banking presence in a community where getting financial services has often meant relying on limited local choices, remote tools or travel. The branch will be the second in-person option visible in town, alongside the Wells Fargo location still shown at 1078 Kiogak St.

The move matters in Utqiaġvik not just because it is the northernmost community in the United States, but because it is also the economic, transportation and administrative center of the North Slope Borough. The city, incorporated on June 8, 1959, had 4,927 residents in the 2020 census, while the borough had 11,031. In a place that serves as the borough seat and largest city, even a small shift in banking access can have outsized effects on households, small businesses and shareholder families.

The branch is planned for three employees, a branch manager and two financial services representatives, with UIC and Global saying they will try to hire locally whenever possible. UIC also said it will help publicize job openings through its own channels, a practical detail in a community where a handful of positions can matter to family incomes and local employment.

Global says the new branch will connect Utqiaġvik customers to more than basic teller service. Its broader platform includes financial workshops, retirement planning, small-business retirement plans, business services, online and mobile banking, appointment scheduling and 24/7/365 live support. The company also says members can use more than 5,600 Co-op shared branching locations when a Global branch is not available, a network that underscores how valuable a permanent office in Utqiaġvik could be for day-to-day transactions and advice.

The branch will sit inside AC Stuaqpak, which opened Oct. 29, 2025, as Alaska Commercial Company’s 38th location in Alaska. The store opened in phase one while phase two renovations continue, and ACC and UIC said the building has long been recognized as the community’s main grocery store in Browerville. For UIC, pairing a bank branch with the new store suggests more than a single tenant change. It signals a broader push to build out services around one of the borough’s most visible commercial sites, with the potential to strengthen local spending, business activity and financial access in the years ahead.