cofi:collaborative_finance

Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
Next revision		 Previous revision
cofi:collaborative_finance [2026/06/05 22:52] – Michel Rauchscofi:collaborative_finance [2026/06/06 07:44] (current) – [Related topics] Simon Grant
Line 28: Line 28:
  
 ---- ----
-Mainstream finance is optimised to maximise profit for the owners by maximising revenue for the customers, at least as far as the cartel allows. The benefits of doing it another way then, are everything but maximal revenue! Instead finance done collaboratively between peers should be less fearful, more flexible and less legalistic, more fun, more participative, more considerate of the environment and community. It should build social bonds, it should provide more non-monetary and serendipitous returns.+Mainstream finance is optimised to maximise profit for the owners by maximising revenue for the customers, at least as far as the cartel allows. The benefits of doing it another way, then, are everything but maximal revenue! Instead finance done collaboratively between peers should be less fearful, more flexible and less legalistic, more fun, more participative, more considerate of the environment and community. It should build social bonds, it should provide more non-monetary and serendipitous returns.
  
-This is the dream, but the obstacles are many. Most people are very conservative with their money and the incumbent system is the devil they know, it is more or less predictable, and is highly efficient. By contrast, a young CoFi initiative has very many ways to fail and potentially lose its members' assets. For this reason it is important not to put all one's eggs in a single #cofi basket. +This is the dream, but the obstacles are many. Most people are very conservative with their money and the incumbent system is the devil they know; it is more or less predictable, and is highly efficient. By contrast, a young CoFi initiative has very many ways to fail and potentially lose its members' assets. For this reason it is important not to put all one's eggs in a single #cofi basket. 
 Another challenge is finding each other and building real, trusting relationships. The people who are awake to the menace of the financial system are thinly spread, which makes it hard for them to meet, to associate, to build trust and to build institutions. Another challenge is finding each other and building real, trusting relationships. The people who are awake to the menace of the financial system are thinly spread, which makes it hard for them to meet, to associate, to build trust and to build institutions.
  
Line 43: Line 43:
 * **Wealth** is not the balance of your bank account but the quality of your life, your health and your relationships. * **Wealth** is not the balance of your bank account but the quality of your life, your health and your relationships.
 * **Security** is emotional and relational, not just physical. * **Security** is emotional and relational, not just physical.
 +
 +/* make some of these into concepts */
  
 With this grounding you can work with others to create wealth and security together. Building large-scale, trustworthy institutions from scratch takes years or even decades of patience, yet commoners have achieved it many times before. [[bsoc:building_societies|Building societies]] took hold and thrived amongst the urban poor of the Industrial Revolution; savings pools can be found in nearly all the monetised societies of the world; the Mondragon Coop still dominates a whole region of Spain. But there is a lot of churn in this field. Many projects fail to get off the ground, often for governance or personality problems, and if successful, there is always the danger of being co-opted and the temptation to sell out. With this grounding you can work with others to create wealth and security together. Building large-scale, trustworthy institutions from scratch takes years or even decades of patience, yet commoners have achieved it many times before. [[bsoc:building_societies|Building societies]] took hold and thrived amongst the urban poor of the Industrial Revolution; savings pools can be found in nearly all the monetised societies of the world; the Mondragon Coop still dominates a whole region of Spain. But there is a lot of churn in this field. Many projects fail to get off the ground, often for governance or personality problems, and if successful, there is always the danger of being co-opted and the temptation to sell out.
Line 63: Line 65:
 Here we point to some examples of new and established projects. Here we point to some examples of new and established projects.
  
-The Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS) is where it started for many of us: local groups serving each other and keeping account using abstract accounting units. The heyday was the 1990s, but many groups remain.+The Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS) /* concept? */ is where it started for many of us: local groups serving each other and keeping account using abstract accounting units. The heyday was the 1990s, but many groups remain.
  
-Any [ecovillage](https://ecovillage.org) involves collective managing of resources, whether it be around housing, energy, work, food or money.+Any [ecovillage](https://ecovillage.org) /* TODO change into a concept, move link there */ involves collective managing of resources, whether it be around housing, energy, work, food or money.
  
 A newer project, [Kin coop](https://kin.coop) offers fiscal hosting (a virtual bank account) to activist groups, saving them admin work, and ensuring their accounts are transparent. A newer project, [Kin coop](https://kin.coop) offers fiscal hosting (a virtual bank account) to activist groups, saving them admin work, and ensuring their accounts are transparent.
Line 71: Line 73:
 In Stroud, UK the team that built this wiki [Stroud Commons](https://stroudcommons.org) is working on a whole cluster of projects related to resource management and finance . In Stroud, UK the team that built this wiki [Stroud Commons](https://stroudcommons.org) is working on a whole cluster of projects related to resource management and finance .
  
-[Local Loop Liverpool](https://localloop-merseyside.co.uk) is bringing small businesses together to cancel out paymets within the network, reducing cashflow risk for all of them. +[Local Loop Merseyside](https://localloop-merseyside.co.uk) (Liverpool) is bringing small businesses together to cancel out payments within the network, reducing cashflow risk for all of them. 
  
 The [Economic Space Agency](https://ecsa.io) is rethinking economics, accounting and money from the bottom up. The [Economic Space Agency](https://ecsa.io) is rethinking economics, accounting and money from the bottom up.
Line 80: Line 82:
  
  
-- [Blockchain](bloc:blockchain)+- [Blockchain](bloc:blockchain) /* should be a concept */
 - [Building societies](bsoc:building_societies) - [Building societies](bsoc:building_societies)
 - [Commons economy](coec:commons_economy) - [Commons economy](coec:commons_economy)
Line 86: Line 88:
 - [Credit commons](crco:credit_commons) - [Credit commons](crco:credit_commons)
 - [Credit unions](crun:credit_unions) - [Credit unions](crun:credit_unions)
-- [Cryptocurrencies](cryp:cryptocurrencies)+- [Cryptocurrencies](cryp:cryptocurrencies) /* should be a concept */
 - [Local currencies](lcur:local_currencies) - [Local currencies](lcur:local_currencies)
 - [Mutual credit](mucr:mutual_credit) - [Mutual credit](mucr:mutual_credit)
  • cofi/collaborative_finance.1780699975.txt.gz
  • Last modified: 2026/06/05 22:52
  • by Michel Rauchs