Credit unions appeared in England in the 19th century. In 1844 a group of workers from Rochdale established the first cooperative. The supreme body of the World Council of Credit Unions is the Assembly, which elects the president and the board of directors of WOCCU. Credit Union - a non-profit financial institution specialized in mutual financial assistance by providing savings and credit services to their members. Credit unions historically formed as a special form of social support, initially taken upon themselves the social mission of protecting the interests of citizens in the field of financial services.