Credit unions in Canada

Canada has significant per-capita membership in credit unions, representing more than a third of the working-age population.

[1] Credit union membership is largest in Quebec, where they are known as caisses populaires (people's banks), and in western Canada.

[2] Responsibility for the incorporation and regulation of credit unions resides primarily at the provincial and territorial level in Canada.

On July 1, 2016, the Caisse populaire acadienne ltée (later rebranded as UNI Financial Cooperation), with its 155,000 members, became the first federal credit union in Canada.

These credit unions operated 1,630 branches across the country with over 6 million members and $312.3 billion in assets.