Results
What we have built
Local for Local builds open technology and support programs that help local currencies grow. Below is an overview of what we have built, what is live today, and what our partners across Europe have achieved.
CityPass
Live product - Kampen, Netherlands
CityPass is a mobile app that gives residents digital access to city services. Piloted in Kampen as the Gemeentepas, it replaces the old paper voucher system with a modern, privacy-respecting app available on iOS and Android.
What it does
- Replaces physical vouchers with a digital pass
- Gives residents access to swimming pools, events, and city services
- Handles payments using GNU Taler, a privacy-preserving payment system
- Runs natively on both iOS and Android
How it is built
- Built on the Local for Local open-source stack (Locasus-B)
- React Native frontend for iOS and Android
- PostgreSQL database, hosted on AWS
- GNU Taler for payment processing
- Full source code available on GitHub
Screenshots of the application:
Open-source tools
Local for Local Software Stack
A three-layer open-source stack that gives local currencies a shared technical foundation. The core layer provides a payment engine, wallet interface, and shared API, maintained by the consortium. Any currency can adopt it for free and extend it to fit their needs.
Circulation Dashboard
A standalone monitoring tool that shows how a local currency circulates through its community. Currency operators can connect it to their platform to track adoption trends, transaction patterns, and overall health of the currency ecosystem.
Grant programs we ran
We ran two open grant programs to get the software stack built and adopted: one for open-source developers and technology providers, one for local currencies putting the stack into practice. Together they distributed over 650,000 euros in grants to organizations across Europe. Contact us if you want to know about future programs.
Results by currency
Here is what our Currency Ecosystem Members achieved while working with Local for Local.
Monnaie Leman
- Launched thematic currencies to strengthen the local economy
- Rolled out a new communications and marketing strategy
- Migrated its payment app from Biletujo to Monujo
- Piloted new use cases with the Antigel festival, the Caisse Alimentaire food bank, and Kultura
Loader Token
- Published open-source documentation for developer onboarding
- Ran marketing campaigns to grow token usability
- Onboarded new merchants including charging stations, restaurants, and hotels
- Built and tested payment endpoints for EV charging roaming
Stro / United Economy
- Recruited and trained new members and businesses
- Brokered new matches between users and local businesses
- Completed an economic impact assessment of the network
- Researched the legal feasibility of cooperative share-tokens
Le Val'Heureux
- Automated bank top-ups and SEPA direct debit for membership fees
- Launched targeted user incentive programs
- Ran a communication campaign with measured impact
- Piloted open-source management software for complementary currencies
Eusko
- Completed a system audit and risk assessment
- Deployed system updates and automation improvements
- Researched reinvestment strategies for its reserve fund
- Documented PSD2 banking regulation requirements for reuse by other currencies
Lokavaluto
- Automated currency-to-euro conversion for partners
- Connected Odoo to SEPA for automated bank transfers
- Built the digital currency circulation dashboard
- Deployed the Lokavaluto stack for other currencies to reuse
Ecoxarxa
- Onboarded new members and built partnerships with local entities
- Added NFC payment card support for community currency accounts
- Built in-app euro convertibility and automated communications
- Set up legal documentation and infrastructure for currency users
Research and knowledge
Alongside the software, we produced research and models that any local currency can use:
- An economic model describing the key variables of local currency transactions across five regions
- An adoption model with strategies for building public and institutional support
- A governance model for building a self-sustaining local currency ecosystem
- Open technical documentation for every component of the stack
- An anonymized dataset of local currency transactions, available for reuse under FAIR and GDPR-compliant data practices
What is next
Our work does not stop when the current funding period ends. We are preparing follow-up plans to keep building toward two goals: a federation of local currencies, and closer integration between local currencies and municipalities.
Municipal currencies
European Federation of Currencies