Bond of association

This article is about the banking term. For the 1584 document, see Bond of Association.
These millworkers chartered the first credit union in British Columbia. Powell River, Canada, 1939.

The (common) bond of association or common bond is the social connection among the members of credit unions and co-operative banks. Common bonds substitute for collateral in the early stages of financial system development. Like solidarity lending, the common bond has since played an important role in facilitating the development of microfinance for poor people.

In modern financial systems, common bonds remain a key building block, especially for the strategic networks that underpin many of Europe’s co-operative banks.[1]

  1. ^ Martin Desrochers, Klaus P. Fischer & Jean-Pierre Gueyie. Managing contractual risk through organization: strategic vs. consensual networks. Développement International Desjardins, Levis, Quebec, May 2004.