Sentence coins are also available as gift vouchers | Brussels
BrusselsThe Zinnemunt, the local Brussels currency, will soon be available in note form for three years and digitally for a good year. But something else is added. From now on it is also possible for a company to buy gift vouchers via the app, which can only be exchanged at a local level. In this way, the initiators hope to give the local economy an extra boost.
De Zinnemunt was created in March 2019 by the citizens’ collective ‘De Zinne’. “We started with the coins to give local traders a boost,” explained co-initiator Arnaud Heremans. “For them, immersion has some benefits. Unlike the euro, the Zinne coins remain within the network of observed cases in the Brussels Region. Since it is a local currency, it also circulates faster than other currencies. And that rapid turnover ensures that more transactions can take place again.”
“Small traders benefit the most. They are also the hardest hit during the corona pandemic.” The local coins are available in different denominations and have the same value as a euro. “About 160 businesses are affiliated, at a quarter of them it is possible to exchange euros for Zinnemunten. It has also been possible to do this digitally for a little over a year, via our Zinne application. We also wanted to attract people who prefer not to pay with cash, but who want to support local trade.”
Five euros extra
Since November 17, self-employed persons and companies can also use the app to receive gift vouchers in Zinnemunten for themselves or their purchased employees via the app. “Normal year-end bonuses are often from Sodexo or something similar. But men can spend them anywhere. With our checks you can be sure that the money goes to the local economy,” Heremans continues. Working method, the collective works together with the City of Brussels. “Two formats are available: one is the ‘City of Brussels Zinne Voucher’, which is limited to the area of the Pentagon. But for every twenty euros that are exchanged for a check, the City puts an extra five euros on top.”
In addition, there are also the classic ‘Zinne Vouchers’ that apply throughout the Brussels Region. To activate, users can print or scan the vouchers with the app. “They are both useful tools for local authorities,” concludes Heremans. “With the controls, policymakers can give money to their residents, and be sure that it is spent locally.”
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