Major Cooperative Banking Institutions of the World

Cooperative banking institutions
NameCountryMembers (2010)Assets (US$ Billion, 2010)TypeAlternative NameNotes
Saraswat BankIndia1,000,0009.8Cooperative BankLargest cooperative bank in Asia
Coop Bank PertamaMalaysia300,000+N/AIslamic Cooperative BankKoperasi Co-opbank Pertama Malaysia BerhadFirst national cooperative bank in Malaysia (1950)
Bank RakyatMalaysia907,918N/AIslamic Cooperative BankBank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia BerhadSecond national cooperative bank in Malaysia (1954)
Crédit Agricole SAFrance52,000,000N/ACooperative Banking GroupCaisse Nationale de Crédit AgricoleOne of the world’s largest cooperative banking groups
Islami Co-operative Bank Ltd. (ICBL)BangladeshN/AN/ACentral Cooperative BankICBLFirst Islamic and largest cooperative bank in Bangladesh
CrelanBelgium288,000N/ACooperative BankFormerly LandbouwkredietIndependent from Crédit Agricole since 2015
DZ BankGermany17,700,000N/ACooperative BankDeutsche ZentralgenossenschaftsbankCentral cooperative bank of Germany
Caisse d’ÉpargneFrance30,000,000N/ACooperative BankSavings BankMajor French cooperative banking network
RabobankNetherlands1,500,000+N/ACooperative BankLeading agricultural and cooperative bank
Nationwide Building SocietyUnited Kingdom15,500,000N/ABuilding SocietyWorld’s largest building society
Bangladesh Samabaya Bank Ltd.BangladeshN/AN/ACooperative BankLargest cooperative bank in Bangladesh
Groupe Banque PopulaireFrance3,400,000N/ACooperative BankMajor French cooperative banking group
Desjardins GroupCanada5,795,277N/ACredit Union FederationLeading financial institution in Quebec
Raiffeisen Bank InternationalAustriaN/AN/ACooperative BankRBIOwned by Austrian Raiffeisen Banks
NonghyupSouth KoreaN/AN/AAgricultural Cooperative BankNational Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF)Approximately US$230 billion in loans
ICCREA BancaItalyN/AN/ACooperative BankIstituto Centrale delle Casse Rurali ed ArtigianeOwned by Italian credit unions
Cassa Centrale BancaItalyN/AN/ACooperative BankCCBOwned by Northern Italy credit unions
Raiffeisen Landesbank SüdtirolItalyN/AN/ACooperative BankCassa Centrale Raiffeisen dell’Alto AdigeOwned by South Tyrol credit unions
RaiffeisenSwitzerlandN/AN/ACredit Union FederationMajor Swiss cooperative banking network
Banco Cooperativo Español & Caja RuralSpainN/AN/ACooperative BankImportant Spanish cooperative banking group
OP Financial GroupFinland1,750,000N/ACooperative Banking GroupHolds major share of Finnish banking market
POP Bank GroupFinlandN/AN/ACredit Union FederationCooperative banking network
S-BankFinland2,900,000N/ACooperative Supermarket BankS-Pankki / S-BankenOwned by S Group Cooperative
Bank AustraliaAustralia125,000+3.0Customer-Owned BankAustralia’s first customer-owned bank
Navy Federal Credit UnionUnited States3,004,3523.3Credit UnionOne of the world’s largest credit unions
Shared InterestUnited KingdomN/AN/ACooperative Lending SocietyProvides finance for fair trade
GLS BankGermanyN/AN/ACooperative BankFocuses on ethical and sustainable banking
The Cooperative BankNew Zealand120,000+N/ACooperative BankCustomer-owned bank
Banco CredicoopArgentinaN/AN/ACooperative BankLargest cooperative bank in Argentina
Laboral KutxaSpainN/AN/ACredit UnionPart of the Mondragon Cooperative Group

Impact During the 2008 Financial Crisis

IndicatorCooperative Banks Performance
Share of European Banking Market20%
Share in Total Banking Losses (2007–2011)Only 7%
SME LendingHigher than most commercial banks
US Credit Union Failure RateFive times lower than other banks
US Small Business Lending (2008–2016)Increased from US$30 billion to US$60 billion
Overall US Small Business LendingDeclined by about US$100 billion

The strong performance of cooperative banks during the 2008 global financial crisis highlighted their stability, member-focused approach, and lower risk-taking compared to many traditional commercial banks.