Joaquim Melo,

the Palmas Institute

and the Community Banks
Fortaleza, Ceara - Brasil

« Innovate against poverty and exclusion :

wakening the popular economy »

Contact
Carlos de Freitas – Institut Palmas Europe
+ 33 (0)6 61 72 92 70 – palmas.europe@gmail.com
Table of contents

1 – Palmas Bank : social, economic and financial innovation case in Brazil ........................ ........... 3

2 – Awards received by the Palmas System ….................................................................................. 6

3 – Palmas Bank and Palmas Institute : principal figures …............................................................. 7

***
Contacts
Europe : Carlos de Freitas – palmas.europe@gmail.com - + 33 6 61 72 92 70

Latin America : Joaquim Melo – joaquim@bancopalmas.org.br - +55 (85) 32 50 82 79

www.banquepalmas.fr & www.bancopalmas.org.br

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Palmas Bank :
social, economic and financial innovation case in Brazil

A people’s bank and the creation of a local currency :

an inventive and evolutionary eco-social methodology to sustainably build the bases for eradication of poverty in
wedged districts and territorial solidarity networks.

In 1998, after more than 25 years of struggle to gain access to basic services (water, electricity, transportation, health),
and facing progressively deteriorating social and economic conditions, a community in the city of Fortaleza
(Northeastern region of Brazil) has chosen to free itself from its overlooked status by inventing a tailor-made tool : the
community bank.

Thus, Joaquim Melo, community leader and popular researcher, inaugurates, with only 2 000 reais (780 €), the first
community bank of Brazil : the Palmas Bank. The idea was born from the discussions occurring within the Associaçao
dos Moradores do Conjunto Palmeiras (Association of Residents of Conjunto Palmeiras), district which has now
around 32,000 residents. They developed an economic system which has an alternative micro-credit line (for low-
income producers and consumers), incentive tools for local consumption (credit card and social currency) and new ways
of commercialization (solidarity fairs & stores) promoting local job creation, income generation and sustainable
territorial development.

Palmas Bank has three main characteristics :

 the community owns its bank : management responsibilities are borne by the community ; this people's bank
strengthens and promotes the capacity building of the inhabitants (participatory democracy processes,
sustainable creation and development of an economical and financial popular culture, eco-social inclusion,
increase of self-esteem, valorization of self-empowerment...) : the inhabitants turn themselves into
prosumatores (“prosumers” with a high focus on the stakeholder part they are to play in their own development
process) ;

 the bank promotes at the same time microcredit for production/commercialization and microcredit for
consumption, implementing an integrated system of territorial development ; it creates and
articulates a local solidarity network between the different stakeholders (local authorities, small/big businesses,
producers, inhabitants, NGOs, university researchers, traditional banks, state government) who learn how to
work and grow together ;

 a local circulating social currency (Palmas currency) anchoring local consumption, which complements the
official currency (Real) and is accepted and recognized by local producers, merchants and consumers, creating
an alternative and solidarity market between the families. The Palmas currency is pegged to the real (R$) (1
Palma is worth 1 Real), which allows productive entrepreneurial activities within the community, like
commerce, industry and services, to exchange currency each time it is necessary to replenish stocks of
products that are not produced in the neighborhood. (Consumers are not allowed to exchange the
complementary currency to reais.)

The microcredits for production/commercialization are made in Reais (1,5% to 3% of interests) and the microcredits for
consumption in Palmas with no interest in order to stimulate the local consumption.

The Palmas currency is nowadays accepted by 240 local businesses, which offer discounts at a minimum rate of 5% to
encourage people from poor neighborhoods to buy with the social currency. The speed of circulation of the social
currency is 5 times higher than the national's one.

Also, the Palmas Bank unites around its financial activities the following programs :

 integration and professional training (particularly targeting youth and women in situations of social risk) ;
 accompaniment to those returning to work ;
 sensibilization, organization and mobilization of inhabitants through pedagogical campaigns (to consume
locally, about basics of solidarity economy, national campaigns about economic democracy, etc.) ;
 building the network of local merchants and producers (particularly by conducting a mapping of local
consumption and production and training popular consultants whose part is to give professional advise to the
traders/producers in the planning and optimization processes, sales strategies, etc.) ;

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  and the development of local cooperatives (which production is oriented depending on the datas collected
through the mapping of local consumption and production).

The public administrations present in the district and certain companies pay a part (5 to 30%) of their employees’
salaries, for those living in the neighborhood, in Palmas currency, thus helping to reinforce the speed of the local
currency’s circulation.

Spreading the idea : the Palmas Institute and the higher scale cooperation
In 2003, in order to spread the social technology of the bank, the inhabitants of Conjunto Palmeiras decided to create
the Palmas Institute. Two years afterwards, the entity signed an agreement to enter into partnership with the Secretaria
Nacional de Economia Solidária (National Secretariat of Solidarity Economy) which put the Institute in charge of the
dissemination of its eco-social methodology at a larger national scale.

The same year, the Palmas Institute and the Banco Popular do Brasil (now integrated into the Banco do Brazil) signed
an agreement that allowed not only Banco Palmas but also the rest of the community banks to have access to a larger
credit portfolio and to act as banking correspondents of Banco Popular do Brasil, meaning that the community banks
offer financial services only made available in the counters of traditional banks (opening of current account, payment of
invoices, receipt of pensions...).
That way, the community banks turn to be paid by the traditional bank for the service they provide on behalf of the
Banco do Brasil which could not open bank agencies in favelas or distant communities (they would not be financially
viable due to the institutional organization of the traditional banks which are “not qualified” to cater for the low income
people' special needs).

Through the partnership with the Banco do Brazil, the Palmas Institute organizes and manages a credit fund (1,5
millions reais = 575 000 euros, directly invested in the neighborhoods) , which transfers a start-up sum of 30,000 R$ for
each new community bank that is created. From the legal point of view, each community bank functions as a Civil
Society Organization of Public Interest (OSCIP) of microcredit. The Palmas Institute acts as an umbrella organization ;
it manages the network which provides legal support to all the community banks, the majority of which are just local
associations with no institutional structure.
As part of being an OSCIP, the Palmas Institute can establish partnerships with the public sector and official banks,
generating resources and technologies for the benefit of the community banks that are part of the network (for example,
the community banks take full advantage of the professional soft used by the Banco do Brasil, which cost could not
have been covered by the incomes of the community banks).

Thanks to those supports it was made possible for the Palmas Institute to head a network of 51 community banks spread
throughout Brazil and bu ilt around the model of Bank Palmas. These banks are located in areas characterized by
poverty, banking and financial exclusion, such as indigenous areas and isolated districts in the semi-arid northeast but
also in the urban peripheral districts.

This social relocation of the economy in poor neighborhoods favors endogenous development and territorial
sustainability without isolating the community, and retailers, from the traditional market : traders can convert local
currency into national currency with the community bank so as to replenish their stocks, but also to import products or
technologies from “outside” of the community. Also the agreements with traditional banks allow communities to
reinforce their determination to integrate the national and globalized economies.

In almost 12 years, Palmas Bank has revolutionized the practice of social and solidarity economy in Brazil. In addition,
through its partnership with the Bank of Brazil (credit portfolio for production, banking correspondence) , the
community bank creates a hybridization of economies (loca l-connected and capitalist-market) to promote the
attractiveness of the area and the proper development of the community.

Moreover, a current priority is the creation of a legal framework supporting community banks. An important step
towards this goal is the bill proposed by Congresswoman Luiza Erundina, which is being discussed at the National
Congress. The text provides for the creation of the National Segment of Popular and Solidarity Finances and the
dissemination of community banks and social currencies as catalyst to human development. Its approval will constitute
a great leap forward in the democratization of the Brazilian financial system – or more importantly – for the financial
and banking inclusion of more than half the Brazilian population that continues to have no access to commercial (public
or private) banks.

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Also, in november 2009, the Central Bank of Brazil organized its first Forum for financial inclusion and invited
Joaquim Melo and the community banks network to debate during one day about the possible ways to create a lawful
framework in order to increase the expansion of the complementary currencies and community banks system within the
national territory. To that end, an agreement has been signed between the Central Bank and the Labour Ministry (which
brazilian National Secretariat for Economic Solidarity falls under) to begin the reflexion and create a working group
integrating the community banks network.

Supported by the Brazilian National Secretariat for Economic Solidarity, partner of several Brazilian “traditional”
banks, supported by global networks of social economy, spread throughout Brazil but also to Venezuela (3 600 banks
have been created under the example of Bank Palmas), the development model set up by the Palmas Bank is already a
well-known reference in Latin America and research centers worldwide.
However, the Palmas Institute has yet to be recognized in Europe and in international organizations outside of the UN.

Awards received by the Palmas System

Award of Social technology from the Bank of Brazil Foundation – 2005

Visionaris Award UBS – ASHOKA – caegory of economical development - 2005

“Transformadores” Award – TRIP Magazine – 2007

OrilaxéAward – Human Rights – category of Social Project – delivered by l'UNESCO and the Grupo Cultural
Afroreggae – 2008

Social Entrepreneur of the Future Award from the newspaper Folha de São Paulo and the Schwab Foundation (2nd
rank) - 2008

FINEP Award from the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology – 2008

Millenium Development Goals Award, delivered by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the
Presidency of Brazilian Republic 's General Bureau – 2008

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Principal figures
Palmas Bank (since 1998) & Palmas Institute (since 2003)

The Palmas Institute heads nowadays a brazilian network including 51 community banks implemented, since 2005, on
the basis of the Banco Palmas eco-social metodology.

The Palmas system has spread to Venezuela of which government founded a law to promote the « bancos comunales »
following the Banco Palmas development model. 3 600 « bancos comunales » were created since 2006.

Paraguay and Ecuador are also interested in the implementing of a similar community banks model.

Datas about Palmas system results

As a reference : the legal minimum wage in Brazil is up to 510 R$ (200 €).

For these items :

SOURCE : PALMAS INSTITUTE/Consumption and production map (2009) + Palmas Institute database

Consumption :
6,2 millions reais (2 , 4 m i l l i o n s € ) are spent per month by the inhabitants of the Conjunto Palmeiras in 2009, as
against 1,5 millions reais (575 000 €) in 2002.

93% of the inhabitants' purchases are made in the district in 2009 as against 80% outside in 1997.

The local trade increased its sales by 30% and became one of the principal commercial corridors of the periphery of
Fortaleza (Source: Census of the Trade - Federation of the Trade of Fortaleza 2007)

Number of shops accepting the social currency in the Palmeiras : 240, offering a minimum discount of 5%

Number of community banks (summer 2009) :

- 51 in Brazil,
- 3.600 in Venezuela

Number of Palmas currency into daily circulation in the district : 36.000 P$

Global amount of the social currencies into circulation on the whole Brazilian network : 206.800 “equivalent to
réais”

1800 jobs were created in the Conjunto Palmeiras in a direct way and 400 in an indirect way.

Interest rate in the community banks system :

- 0% for the consumer loans,
- range from 1,5% to 3% for the production loans, according to the provided amounts.

Annual average global collection rate : 97,2 %.

Number of employees of the Palmas Institute : 30 including 6 for the Palmas Bank (all living in the district). The
wages are paid to 80% in reais and to 20% in palmas, just like in certain companies and public administrations
established in the district.

Number of loans delivered in 2008 by the Palmas Bank (the portfolio of credit was then of 530.000 reais) :
- 910 production loans,
- 1.200 consumer loans,
concerning thus directly more than 5.000 inhabitants of the Conjunto Palmeiras.

Considering the whole network of the Brazilian Community banks, 3.450 families benefit from access to the
microcredits this year (2009) which represents more than 20.000 people directly benefiting from the Palmas system.

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We estimate at 200.000 people the number of recipients since the creation of the Palmas Bank in 1998, directly or
indirectly benefited by the programs of access to credit and professional capacitation. And we count 2 millions of
family recipients benefited with the « bank correspondent » program of the Palmas system since its beginning.

2.438 young people have benefited from training sessions (professional training, communitarian consulting, preparation
to the University entry contest, etc.) in Conjunto Palmeiras through the programs of capacitation of the Bank Palmas
(figures summer 2009)

Resources (funds) of the Palmas Institute

Figures of the partnership with the Banco do Brasil (figures taken for the period from September 2005 to July
2009) :
Source : MICROFINANCES AND MICROCREDIT AS INSTRUMENTS TO POTENTIATE THE
SUSTAINABILITY OF COMMUNITY BANKS – Monography for the University of Brasilia - Marcello Lopes Corrêa
(Director of the Low Income Service – Banco do Brasil) – August 2009

NB : This figures do not include the resources coming from various partnerships with Brazilian federal government,
local authorities and private companies, headed towards the training programs and accompaniment of the inhabitants
of the targeted districts.

- The Palmas Institute receives, on average, 58.800 reais per month (nearly 22.000 euros) of payment for the operations
carried out on behalf of the Banco do Brasil (management of the portfolio for credit and as a banking correspondent)
what enables him to pay monthly the wages and the operation costs of a team of 30 people.

Global amount of the credit portfolio in 2009 : 1,8 millions reais (675 000 €) including 1,5 millions lent by the Bank
of Brazil and 300.000 reais from the State of Ceara

Total 2009 (7 months) of the transactions carried out by the network of the community banks :
R$ 31,964 Millions = 12 457 559 €

Total of the funds having circulated through the counters of the community banks since 2005 :
R$ 83.640.728 = 32 436 719 €

Number of current accounts opened : 10.152

About the consumer loans provided (as bank correspondent and apart from social currency loans) :
- number of consumer loans provided : 13.334
- global amount of the consumer loans provided : R$ 2.791.584= 1 082 604 €

About the production loans provided :

- number of production loans provided : 2.356
- global amount of the production loans provided : 4.642.377 = 1 800 361 €

Remuneration of the Palmas institute received from the Banco do Brasil :

- total remuneration : R$ 1.076.638 = 417 531 € of which :

- remuneration perceived for the realization of the transactions: R$ 421.835 = 163 592 €
- remuneration for the management of the production loan portfolio : R$ 654.803 = 253 939 €

The monthly average level of transactions (payment and cashing) (figures July 2009):

- Financial volume : R$ 4,57 millions/month = 1,78 € million

- Number of transactions: 43 thousand

Loans (Personal Microcredit + Productive microcredit):

- Value applied: R$ 2 millions = 779.000 €
- Number of operations: 2.850
- Open Accounts : 2.000

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Sustainable break-even for a community bank :
Source : STUDY ABOUT THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE PROJECT BANCO PALMAS – DIKAIOS/Fondation
Brava – January 2007
– management of a credit portfolio with R$ 300 000
– 10 000 monthly transactions

Figures (abstract) of the evaluation carried out in 2008, on the impact and the image of the Palmas
Bank, by the Federal University of Ceara, ordered by the Brazilian Ministry of labour and
employment :

SOURCE : EVALUATION OF IMPACTS AND IMAGE OF THE BANCO PALMAS – LIEGS (Laboratorio
Interdisciplinar de Estudos em Gestao Social - Interdisciplinar Laboratory on Studies about social management) –
Federal University of Ceara – Coord. : Prof Jeova Torres Silva Jr – February 2008

98% of the people interviewed affirm that the Palmas Bank contributed to the development of the district

90% affirm that the Palmas Bank contributed to the improvement of the living conditions of the district

When the question “how?” is asked :

25,25% answer “by the increase in my incomes”

20,20% answer “I found a job”.

60% of the interviewed give a note ranging from 9 to 10 to the Palmas Bank for its action on a scale of 10..