<P> The World Council of Credit Unions (World Council or WOCCU) is the leading international trade association and development agency for credit unions and cooperative financial institutions . World Council promotes the self - sustainable development of credit unions and other financial cooperatives around the world to empower people through access to high quality and affordable financial services . World Council advocates on behalf of the global credit union system before international organizations, and works with national governments to improve legislation and regulation . Its technical assistance programs introduce new tools and technologies to strengthen credit unions' financial performance and increase their outreach . </P> <P> World Council is funded by member dues, government agency and foundation grants and annual gifts to its foundation . World Council of Credit Unions and its subsidiaries are headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin . World Council also has a permanent office in Washington, D.C., and program offices worldwide . </P> <P> In cooperation with its member organizations in nearly 60 countries, World Council champions the credit union model worldwide to continue growing the international movement of 68,000 credit unions in 109 countries that serve 231 million members . </P> <P> World Council was founded on January 1, 1971, as the global trade association for credit unions . World Council has worked with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA) to build Islamic Investment and Finance Cooperatives in Afghanistan . In 2006, World Council received a $6.7 million grant from the Gates Foundation to develop credit unions in Africa and Latin America . </P>

How many credit union members are there worldwide