Bristol pound

The Bristol Pound (£B) was a form of local, complementary, and/or community currency launched in Bristol, UK, on 19 September 2012. Its objective was to encourage people to spend their money with local, independent businesses in Bristol, and for those businesses to in turn localise their own supply chains. At the point of the close of the digital scheme in August 2020, it was the largest alternative in the UK to official sterling currency, and was backed by sterling.

The digital component of the Bristol Pound ceased operation in August 2020, with accounts reverting to sterling at the Bristol Credit Union. The paper currency was withdrawn from circulation on 30 September 2021, with a reimbursement deadline for notes passing in December 2021, marking the end of the Bristol Pound as a currency. The Bristol Pound Community Interest Company (CIC) later developed Bristol Pay, an e-money peer-to-peer payment platform aimed at generating income for charitable projects and promoting new ways of thinking about economic value through token systems. However, Bristol Pay was discontinued in mid-2023 due to insufficient funding.