Co-operative Societies, or co-ops, are associations of persons who have voluntarily joined together to achieve a common social or economic aim by forming a jointly-owned and democratically controlled business organisation. They operate on principles of self-help and mutual assistance. Most co-ops also have social missions to benefit the greater society in which they operate in.

There are currently 85 co-ops in Singapore.

Consumer and services: 59

Credit: 23

School: 3

Consumer and services co-ops provide goods and/or services to their members to meet their daily needs.

Some of these co-ops have become household names, NTUC Fairprice, NTUC First Campus, NTUC Foodfare, NTUC Income. While these co-ops are business driven, they are anchored in their social mission to help Singaporeans and residents through moderating the cost of living.

Credit co-ops provide financial services (i.e. take in deposits and/or grant loans) to their members who are within a pre-existing common bond of association or community of interest. The earliest registered co-op in Singapore was the Singapore Government Staff Credit Co-op.

There are also school co-ops which operate in secondary schools and junior colleges that aim to expose students to co-op principles and social entrepreneurship.

Co-ops are regulated by the Registry of Co-operative Societies (“the Registry”) under the Co-operative Societies Act (Chapter 62) and Co-operative Societies Rules 2009. The Registry's functions are as follows:

• Regulating the registration and dissolution of co-ops;
• Regulating organisation and management of co-ops, so as to protect the interests of co-op members as a whole;
• Supervising credit co-ops so as to promote prudence and accountability; and
• Overseeing the custody and utilisation of the net funds from dissolved co-ops, including the repayments of moneys due to ex-members and/or creditors.

Contact us

Registry of Co-operative Societies
Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
140 Hill Street, #02-00
Old Hill Street Police Station
Singapore 179369
Tel (hotline): 6337 3832
Fax: 6837 8090
Email: MCCY_regcoop@mccy.gov.sg

Operating hours
Monday - Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm
(closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays)