In 1993, the vision for an innovative and modern bank was embodied with the foundation of the Credit Cooperative of Chania, which in 1995 was transformed into a bank: the Cooperative Bank of Chania. The expansion of the Cooperative Bank of Chania, which possesses the advantage of local orientation, was achieved through the initial establishment in the province of Chania and the gradual expansion of the bank’s network in the entire island of Crete, in order for the Bank to be as close as possible to the market segment it addresses itself. Currently, the Bank’s network comprises of 23 branches, out of which 19 are located in the island of Crete (provinces of Chania, Rethymnon, Irakleio and Lasithi) and the other 4 are located in Attica. The Bank’s workforce numbers about 200 employees. The rationale behind the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Chania was to restructure the social economy units, to complement “popular base” activities, to enhance the flexibility and transparency in commercial practices as well as to strengthen the recycling of income and production in local level, towards the achievement of province and prefecture self sufficiency. The major characteristics of the Cooperative Bank of Chania are: the active participation of the partners in the decision making process, the shaping of new products according to the needs of the clientele, the competitiveness of the bank’s services and the speedy responsiveness in customer requests and market demands.