Carol'Or
The Carol'Or is the citizen currency of Charleroi and the Haute Sambre, in Belgium, launched in 2019. One Carol'Or equals one euro, and the exchanged euros stay at an ethical bank. It circulates as paper notes and a digital version, and about 190 businesses across fifteen communes accept it. The city of Charleroi used it in 2020 to hand out local-commerce support to every resident.
Charleroi's euro-parity citizen currency, alive in 2026 with paper plus digital circulation, stagnant since its municipal stimulus era; same class shape as the French territorial rows.
M69 Score
Scored against the Money2069 Manifesto — see methodology. Higher = more aligned.
Detailed Rating Breakdown
Issuance Model3x4.0
Debt-free issuance against euros held 1:1 at an ethical bank; paper and digital forms; supply follows exchange and reconversion.
Spending Power Stability2x3.0
Stability inherited entirely from the euro peg; no own mechanism.
Fiat Independence & Interoperability2x1.0
Hard 1:1 euro peg with euro reserves at a bank; the territorial euro-parity class reading (FI 1) applied unchanged.
Traction2x3.0
Seven years live, about 190 accepting establishments and roughly 200,000 euros of equivalent value circulating (RTBF); usage stagnant since the 2020 municipal distribution, which was largely reconverted; own site active through March 2026.
Sovereignty2.0
Association-run, euro reserves at a bank, Belgian legal framework; the founding city relationship cuts both ways.
Governance3.0
Citizen association within the Financité network; municipal partnership documented; standard association governance.
Resilience3.0
Survived the post-Covid drop that hit all Hainaut local currencies and still publishes campaigns in 2026; communication-dependent and volunteer-run.
Inclusivity3.0
Open to anyone in the territory at parity; the 2020 city distribution reached every resident, an unusually broad onboarding for the class.