Typically, donor contributions to the credit unions are targeted and used in the same statutory requirements and restrictions as the Mutual Financial Aid fund as a whole. Specialization of credit unions to provide financial services to its shareholders requires a particularly strict regulation of membership and acceptable activities. Typically new members of the credit union become citizens having suretyship or recommendations from their friends - members of the credit union. All the members of the credit union, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious and political beliefs, as well as the size of the monetary share have equal rights. As of the January 1, 2012 the national associations and confederations unite more than 196 million members participating in the 51,013 credit unions in 100 countries. Historically, credit unions have grown from the experience of credit cooperatives, but they took the experience of organizations of mutual aid of citizens by moving methods of social self-protection from labor and toward consumption. Worldwide credit union movement is represented by regional confederations and national organizations within the World Council of Credit Unions.
Typically new members of the credit union become citizens having suretyship or recommendations from their friends - members of the credit union. All the members of the credit union, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious and political beliefs, as well as the size of the monetary share have equal rights. Specialization of credit unions to provide financial services to its shareholders requires a particularly strict regulation of membership and acceptable activities.