Le Lumsou
The Lumsou is the citizen currency of the Namur basin in Belgium. One lumsou equals one euro. Citizens from local transition groups started it after a 2015 initiative to keep spending inside the region. Paper notes circulate among residents and businesses across thirteen communes. A volunteer association runs it and keeps a public map of the businesses that accept it.
Namur's citizen currency: a decade-old, volunteer-run, euro-backed paper MLC with fresh 2026 activity. Sibling of Carol'Or, La Brawette and SolAToi in the Wallonia set; closes another gap in the Financite census.
M69 Score
Scored against the Money2069 Manifesto — see methodology. Higher = more aligned.
Detailed Rating Breakdown
Issuance Model3x3.0
Association issues notes 1:1 against euros (IM-01: 2), debt-free (IM-02: 5), supply expands and contracts with exchange demand (IM-04/05: 3-4), but no link to a real-economy index (IM-03: 2).
Spending Power Stability2x2.0
Euro peg only; stable in euro terms, imports euro inflation, no separate purchasing-power mechanism.
Fiat Independence & Interoperability2x2.0
Fully euro-backed and euro-denominated (FI-01/02: 1). Daily paper circulation runs without banks (FI-03: 3) and it composes with the wider Belgian MLC network (FI-07: 3).
Traction2x3.0
Active for roughly a decade across 13 communes with a maintained merchant map (site and map both updated mid-2026); listed in the Ville de Namur directory and the Financite census. Small absolute scale; organic, unsubsidized adoption (TR-09: 4-5); euros stay the unit of account (TR-05: 2).
Sovereignty3.0
Bearer paper: self-custody (SO-04: 5), no censorship or surveillance of payments (SO-07/08: 4-5). The asbl remains a single point of shutdown (SO-01: 2) and rules are policy, not code (SO-09: 1).
Governance3.0
Volunteer asbl with participatory, transition-movement governance; informal but open.
Resilience2.0
Ten years of survival on volunteer effort; no durable funding model (RE-07: 1-2); paper system is simple and rebuildable (RE-04: 4).
Inclusivity3.0
No identity requirement, no cost to hold or spend (IN-06: 5, IN-02: 5); restricted to one region by design.