Credit unions of the open type are still controlled by their members, but at the same time provide services to people who are not its members (external customers). Credit unions are financial institutions, financial cooperatives of citizens, and in this capacity they are above all associations of people, not unification of capitals, which is typical, for example, for public companies. Credit cooperatives and credit unions exist in many different forms. The main differences relate to the nature of the membership and the opening of a credit institution. Unlike banks credit unions limit their activities to a closed circle of people.