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Departing from a brief story about the emergence of cooperative banks, the article questions the capacity of these banks to reduce inequalities and the conditions under which they can do it. In a constant evolving environment, particularly since the deregulation of the 1980s, cooperative banks have to assert their ability to adapt while preserving their values and responding to the needs of the real economy. According to the information provided in their annual reports, cooperative banks are showing better results in terms of reducing inequalities compared to their counterparts. JEL Codes: G21, P13.