Mutualism, co-ops, free/local/demurrage currencies
Just putting info on alternative systems in one place. Starting with WIR currency (thanks vanlose).
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The WIR Bank, formerly the Swiss Economic Circle (GER: Wirtschaftsring-Genossenschaft), or WIR, is an independent complementary currency system in Switzerland that serves small and medium-sized businesses. It exists only as a bookkeeping system, with no scrip, to facilitate transactions. Its founders had been influenced by Silvio Gesell but the WIR Bank renounced Gesell's "free money" theory in 1952, opening the door to monetary interest.
The bank has 62 000 members. According to its statutes, "Its purpose is to encourage participating members to put their buying power at each other's disposal and keep it circulating within their ranks, thereby providing members with additional sales volume." Its website says it "intends to be the preferred partner of the Swiss middle class in general and SMEs in particular". Transactions between members are recorded at the bank level.
WIR holdings "represent purchasing power in its pure form".
Currently members can earn up to 2.5% pa interest on the Terzo pension scheme. Savings accounts pay up to 2% pa. Home loans cost 1% on the share borrowed in WIR and market rates for the share borrowed in CHF, encouraging increased money supply in WIR.
Ordinary shares in WIR are traded over the counter in Bern twice a month and in 2009 paid a 2.2% dividend.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WIR
http://www.wir.ch
http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/local_c ... ansch.html
