THE FUTURE OF MONEY Bernard A. Lietaer - library.uniteddiversity ...

effectively. But it has nevertheless its own website
(www.laneta.apc.org), its own periodic publication (La Otra Bolsa de
Valores), and even a whole range of other community services.
The Tlaloc is a mutual credit system where the currency is issued in
the Form of paper cheques. A number of trusted users have
chequebooks and always issue the cheques in round amounts (e.g. 1,
2, 5, 10, 50). These cheques have a number of endorsement spaces on
the back, so that the first recipient can endorse it for the next user,
and so on. The cheques circulate as currency, and periodically
someone can bring in the cheque to the centre when the last user is
credited and the issuer is debited. In short, this system has the
advantages of being both a mutual credit system and a paper
currency. It requires only one personal computer in the system to
keep the accounts. And it can circulate as paper currency without
needing access even to a telephone to call in the transaction. Other
communities have started to emulate this model. For instance, the
compromise cheques circulate in the neighbourhood of Toctiuco in
Quite, Ecuador.
7. “Bis Kud Chum” Southeast Asia’s First Community Currency
System
Synthesis of a report by Powell & Menno Salverda
On March 29, 2000 villagers from Kud Chum district in Yasothon,
about 10 hours bus trip From Bangkok in north-east Thailand, began
trading in bia, an interest-free community currency.
At first glance, the small, rural market in the village of Santisuk
looks just like any other Thai rural market. But when a customer
asks: 'How much is the bottle of liquid soap made by a village
homemakers' group?' The woman behind the table casts a broad grin,
her teeth stained a betel-nut red, and replies: 30 baht and five bia'.