Credit unions attract people in the first place by the opportunity to get cash loan (credit) - quickly and relatively inexpensively. Principles of cooperative democracy and interaction were adequate to the purposes for which people joined credit unions. The main advantage of credit unions consists in transparency, controllability, governance for shareholders. The relationship of shareholders with credit union are not client-based, they are co-operative, based on different principles and standards, in particular, on the principles of the law of obligations. The main activities of credit unions, aimed at the organization of mutual aid and social support of citizens is not intended to profit. Initially, the target groups of credit unions were farmers (Raiffeisen), and now they include both individuals (credit unions), and organizations. The supreme body of the World Council of Credit Unions is the Assembly, which elects the president and the board of directors of WOCCU. Corporate alliances are intermediaries between credit unions and financial markets.