Our modern world is full of uncertainty, and how we organise our society and the institutions within it, including our financial institutions, will dictate how well we tackle modern societal challenges. In such uncertain times, a mutual regional bank, owned and controlled by the people, could allow individuals, communities, businesses and public sector bodies to have control over this vast wealth and ensure it’s used for our benefit.
keeps our money in our region
I like the idea of democratic ownership of a localised bank that doesn't have 'global' ambitions. It should be much more connected to people's real needs
How will the relationship with other mutual forms of banking and saving - for example Credit Unions - be managed?
Good point about the credit unions. The CU movement is very strong right across Ireland. So, it's vital that a community bank complements the CUs, enhancing their role rather than displacing or duplicating it. That's why the community bank campaign is in discussions with the Irish League of CUs and individual CUs to see how we can work in partnership. The community bank idea has support from several people within the movement and we hope to secure formal support soon.
This content is created by the open source Your Priorities citizen engagement platform designed by the non profit Citizens Foundation