In 1908. the spread of credit unions has reached the United States. In 1935 President Roosevelt signed the state Charter on credit unions, which became a law. Representative organization, leading the coordination work in the field of development of both global and national credit union movement is the World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU) established in 1971 (headquartered in Madison, USA). Some credit unions are closed, serving only their members. However, the more and more popularitywin cooperatives of open type. First central bank of credit unions appeared in 1876. Credit unions began to appear rapidly in many European countries. Since the early 80's started the process of consolidation of credit unions, leading to a decrease in their number with a simultaneous increase in the total number of members. Initially, the target groups of credit unions were farmers (Raiffeisen), and now they include both individuals (credit unions), and organizations. The value of credit unions is not limited to the role of the economic agent - they are an important element of the social structure and a factor of social stability and progress.