Inequalities between the top 10 percent and the bottom 10 percent among all the ethnic communities is on the rise. There are also evident signs of growing poverty despite claims from official reports. The actions of the global elites and the global super wealthy are impacting local economies, calling for stronger global action to facilitate local economic development. Here, the role the cooperative movement in Malaysia and globally provide alternative economic models. The Kingsley Strategic Institute (KSI) and the Malaysian CSO-SDG Alliance hosted a dialogue to discussed these issues and examine how cooperatives can bring about viable transformative economies to improve standards of living and wellbeing.