What is the world’s main financial asset?

Finding a place to live has ceased to be a basic need and has become a global competition. It is no longer just about paying for a roof, but about entering —or being excluded from— a market dominated by large capital. In Spain, many families spend more than 40% of their income on rent, while in Catalonia poverty is increasing despite economic growth. And housing prices keep rising. The question is clear: how did an essential right become the world’s main financial asset… and who is paying the price?

For decades, housing was a pillar of life security. A place to live, build a family, and create stability. But this paradigm broke down at the end of the 20th century, when the financialization of the economy transformed real estate into an investment vehicle within the global system. Like stocks or bonds, but with one key difference: it is limited and essential. This dual nature makes it an extraordinarily attractive asset.

In a context of low interest rates and excess liquidity, large capital quickly identified this opportunity. Investing in housing offered returns, security, and guaranteed demand. The result has been an uneven competition, where citizens no longer compete with each other but with global funds with almost unlimited capacity. Thus, the real estate market has stopped responding to social needs and now follows purely financial logic.

This process is not accidental. It responds to an economic model that turns real assets into instruments of rent extraction. It is no longer necessary to control territories: it is enough to control key assets. And among them all, housing stands above the rest. Because it is not just an investment. It is a vital necessity. And this is precisely where its strength… and its danger lie.

Wages that do not keep up

Wages are not keeping pace with housing costs, and this is the core of the problem. According to the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, more than €1,300 per month is needed to live with dignity, a figure many workers do not reach. Meanwhile, housing can absorb up to 34% of household spending, or up to 45% when utilities are included.

This mismatch is consolidating a new reality: that of the working poor—people with jobs who cannot guarantee a decent standard of living. Working no longer guarantees living. And this is the real paradigm shift.

At the same time, inflation has accelerated this imbalance in a silent but forceful way. Liquidity injected by central banks is not distributed evenly, but flows into assets: stocks, commodities… and housing. This generates asset inflation that drives prices up without wages adjusting at the same pace, eroding the purchasing power of the majority.

Moreover, this inflation has a perverse fiscal effect. Rising prices increase taxes such as VAT and can push workers into higher income tax brackets without a real improvement in income. The result is clear: people pay more but live worse. A dynamic that reveals the fracture between the real economy and the financial economy.

When the market stops serving society

The housing problem is not only social, it is structural. The current economic model operates as an extractive system that concentrates wealth through key assets, and housing is its clearest example. It generates recurring income, appreciates over time, and is essential for living. This combination makes it a perfect tool for extracting income from the population.

It is not a flaw in the system. It is the system working exactly as designed, reinforced by dynamics of crony capitalism, where relationships between political and economic power can favor large asset holders. Thus, the market ceases to respond to supply and demand logic and instead operates according to concentrated interests. The result is a system that perpetuates inequality and limits access to a fundamental right.

Catalonia clearly exemplifies this contradiction. The economy grows, tourism reaches record levels, and investment increases, yet poverty also rises. The economy grows, but not well-being. And this is not a contradiction: it is a consequence. Housing is the clearest reflection: as prices rise, more and more people are excluded or access it under precarious conditions.

Living inside an asset

The paradigm shift is radical. Before, we lived in homes; today, we live inside financial assets. This means that rent no longer pays only for a service, but feeds a return, often global and detached from the local territory. Here emerges the great paradox: the more housing values increase, the more the economic capacity of the society living in them weakens.

Faced with this scenario, public debate often remains superficial. There is talk of price regulation, subsidies, or social housing, but rarely is the root of the problem addressed. And the issue is not only social, but systemic: an economic model that turns basic needs into instruments of profitability and places profit above collective well-being. Without understanding this, any response will be incomplete.

What we are witnessing is a silent but constant transfer of wealth. From labor income to asset owners. From the middle class to large capital. Housing has become the main channel of this process, effectively redefining the social contract on which the stability of modern societies was built.

Understanding this shift is the first step toward regaining control. Only through financial education can we identify the mechanisms that affect us and make informed decisions. Because when housing becomes an asset, the right to live becomes a privilege.

Protecting savings with physical gold has been one of the main contributions of 11Onze to its community and, now, the range of products is expanding. Therefore, in the face of volatility, still high inflation and the growing crisis of confidence in the banking system, gold is once again strengthening as a safe-haven asset. Discover Seed Gold at Preciosos 11Onze.

Negotiations between the Ministry of Labour, trade unions and employers on the implementation of the reduction of the working week to 37.5 hours have stalled. Its potential impact on the various economic sectors perpetuates a fruitless tug-of-war between these three actors.

The government’s proposal, with the approval of the trade unions, aims to reduce the legal limit on working hours from 40 to 37.5 hours per week in two phases: to 38.5 hours for the remainder of 2024 and to a maximum of 37.5 hours per week in 2025. This reduction in working time would not have to entail a reduction in pay.

If the proposal for the new working hours is finally implemented, it will, in theory, affect around 70% of the working population in Spain who are employed by others, equivalent to some 16.1 million workers, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) for the first quarter of 2024.

In practice, however, although the current legal limit is 40 hours, the average effective working day in Spain is already 37.7 hours for full-time jobs. Therefore, according to the Labour Force Survey (EPA), this measure would affect some 8 million workers who currently work more than 37.5 hours a week.

It has the general support of the population

According to surveys, 80% of the working population in Spain are in favour of a reduction in working hours if it does not involve a reduction in pay. While 70% would still be in favour even if it meant a reduction in pay.

On the other hand, almost two out of every three SMEs and the self-employed, 58.8%, believe that it would not be beneficial. Among the reasons they articulate for this position, 40% state that it does not fit the profile of the company, 17.1% believe that productivity will fall and 10.1% believe that it will cause economic problems.

A familiar pattern of negotiations repeats itself

As happened when the reduction of the working week to 40 hours in 1983 came into force, the new proposal has met with the employers’ refusal. Represented by the CEOE and Cepyme, it is repeating, albeit in more politically correct terms, what it said more than 40 years ago: if people want to work less, they will have to earn less. He argues that reducing working hours would increase personnel costs and affect the competitiveness of companies.

For their part, the CCOO and UGT trade unions show their support for the measure, even so, frustrated by the lack of progress towards a satisfactory agreement, the CCOO’s secretary for trade union action, Mª Cruz Vicente, has warned that “If the negotiations do not progress, we will call for demonstrations”.

In this context, the Ministry of Labour is willing to facilitate a gradual implementation adapted to the needs of different economic sectors. At the same time, the government insists that reducing working hours will be implemented, although it is willing to negotiate the details and deadlines.

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How can we reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans every year? There are measures that depend on governments, but there are also everyday actions that can reduce our impact on the environment.

As 11Onze agent Mònica Cornudella alerts, many fish drown every year because they mistake a plastic bag for a jellyfish and try to eat it, or because they get trapped in the plastic rings that hold soft drink cans.

The dumping of plastics in the seas and oceans is a problem that will last because they are products that take a long time to degrade. For example, a plastic bag takes between 20 and 50 years, but, as Cornudella says, the dreaded plastic bottles “take about 500 years” and a tyre that has ended up in the sea can take “up to 1,000 years”.

It is estimated that by 2050 “there will be more plastics than fish in our seas and oceans” because every year “between 8 and 15 million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into the sea“, as the 11Onze agent explains. In economic terms, the dumping of plastics in the sea generates damage to marine ecosystems worth 11,800 million euros, according to the United Nations environmental programme.

Measures to stop the ecological disaster

In view of this situation, Mònica Cornudella proposes institutional action in three main generic areas to stop, or at least reduce, the magnitude of the problem.

The first measure would be to promote “environmental education” to train the youngest children in their commitment to the environment, given that “the habits acquired from an early age will always last into adulthood”. And in this sense, Cornudella proposes “increasing the sustainability of schools”.

Another area is the promotion of “volunteering” to collaborate with initiatives that are being carried out everywhere to protect the environment. For example, Cornudella cites the cleaning of beaches, forests, and public places, which are sometimes very degraded.

The third issue raised by the 11Onze agent is that of the legal framework. “We need to take a step back and go back to using glass bottles, cardboard boxes, and wood. Faced with a very powerful lobby of packaging and plastics manufacturers, “we need to have laws that prohibit and regulate the excessive and unmeasured use of plastic”.

The importance of everyday actions

Beyond these generic issues, “small daily actions” can also help to take care of our oceans. Along these lines, Cornudella recommends “practising the three R’s, on which the circular economy is based: reduce, reuse and recycle”. In addition to reducing the plastics we generate, this will allow us to “reduce our carbon footprint and at the same time combat climate change”. And, in the age of cyberactivism, Mònica Cornudella insists on “sharing initiatives on social networks”.

“Implementing the circular economy and protecting marine flora and fauna in the face of climate change” should be, according to the 11Onze agent, a common goal for humanity. “Every action, no matter how small, helps us to achieve a healthier planet and to protect the seas and oceans“, concludes Cornudella.

If you want to discover how to drink the best water, save money and help the planet, go to 11Onze Essentials.

Instant payments, banking apps, digital money. Everything seems convenient. But behind financial technology there are political and power decisions.

Financial technology has integrated into everyday life with surprising speed. We pay with our phones, send money in seconds, contract financial services with two clicks. Everything is more agile, more efficient, more “user-friendly”. But this convenience has a downside that often goes unnoticed: financial technology is not neutral. It has never been.

Every digital infrastructure incorporates a worldview. And, in the case of money, this vision has profound consequences for economic freedom, privacy, and the decision-making power of citizens.

The end of anonymous money

For centuries, money has allowed something fundamental: anonymity. Buying, selling or saving without leaving a trace. Not as a criminal privilege, but as a basic expression of individual freedom.

The total digitalization of the financial system radically changes this paradigm. Electronic payments, cards, banking apps and digital currency projects imply absolute traceability. Every transaction is recorded. Who pays, how much, where and when?

What is regularly presented as efficiency and the fight against fraud also opens the door to an unprecedented level of control. Not only by financial institutions, but also by states. In this context, initiatives such as central bank digital currencies —promoted, among others, by the European Central Bank— generate a legitimate debate: how far does convenience go and where does surveillance begin?

Eliminating cash is not only a technological change. It is a change in the social contract.

When every action leaves a trace

In a fully digitalized system, money ceases to be just a medium of exchange and becomes data… and data has value.

Consumption habits, payment frequency, types of merchants, geographical location. Everything can be analyzed, cross-referenced and exploited. Not necessarily with bad intentions, but with clear incentives: risk control, customer segmentation, profit optimization.

The problem is not only who collects this data, but who decides how it is used. And here the citizen frequently remains in a passive position, with little room for manoeuvre and limited capacity for oversight.

Algorithms that decide for you

Credit granted or denied. Spending limits. Insurance premiums. Financing conditions. More and more financial decisions pass through automated systems.

These algorithms are not objective by definition. They are models designed by humans, trained with historical data and oriented toward maximizing certain outcomes. Often, efficiency and risk reduction for the institution, not necessarily the well-being of the client.

The problem is opacity. When a person decides, it can be questioned, negotiated or appealed. When an algorithm makes it, the answer is usually “does not meet the criteria”. Without clear explanations. Without context. Without a real right to reply.

This creates a new asymmetry of power: systems that decide over people’s economic lives without them understanding how or why.

Automation and dependency

Financial technology promises autonomy, but it can generate dependency. Dependency on platforms, private infrastructures and criteria we do not control.

When everything goes through apps and digital systems, being excluded —by age, knowledge, resources or personal choice— implies real marginalization. Access to money ceases to be universal and becomes conditional.

Moreover, technological concentration in few hands reinforces power dynamics that are difficult to reverse. The system becomes efficient, yes. But also more fragile and less plural.

Technology yes, but with critical thinking

Technology is neither good nor bad in itself. It depends on who designs it, with what incentives and under what rules. Accepting it uncritically is as naive as rejecting it altogether.

The challenge is not to stop innovation, but to govern it. To ensure that financial digitalization respects fundamental rights such as privacy, freedom of decision and universal access. It is necessary to ensure that technology serves citizens, not only the financial system or institutional control.

This requires regulation, transparency and, above all, informed citizens. Without knowledge, there is no capacity to choose. And without the capacity to select, freedom dissolves.

Knowledge as defense

Understanding how digital financial systems work is not a technical issue reserved for experts. It is a tool of personal sovereignty.

Knowing what it means to pay without cash. Understanding how automated decisions are made. Questioning what data we give away and in exchange for what. All this is part of a new essential literacy.

In a world where money is increasingly digital, ignorance is no longer neutral. It plays against you. Understanding financial technology is essential to preserve economic freedom.

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The onslaught of economic sanctions against Russia by the United States and the European Union was intended to destabilise the government and sink the Russian economy. However, Russia’s gold reserves have played a key role in thwarting the attempt to undermine the country’s financial stability.

The unprecedented economic sanctions imposed by the Western bloc on Russia are designed to attack the Russian economy on all fronts. On the one hand, to emasculate its financing capacity by requisitioning half of the country’s foreign exchange and gold reserves, some 400 billion euros, which are mostly held by the US bank J.P. Morgan. As well as making it impossible for Russia to pay its foreign debt in dollars, despite its willingness and ability to do so, in order to force a suspension of payments.

On the other hand, to limit its exports and ability to bring in capital through sanctions, excluding the country from international trade by expelling some of its main banks from the SWIFT system. Likewise, the ban on the purchase of Russian coal, restrictions on gas imports and the partial embargo on oil exports are aimed at eliminating the main sources of income of the country’s economy.

The latest list of economic measures against Russia approved by the EU and its American partner last June banned the purchase of Russian gold. It should be noted that Russia is the world’s second-largest gold producer after China. To the London market alone, it exported gold worth 15.5 billion euros in 2021 and is the country with the world’s fifth-largest gold reserves.

An antidote against economic sanctions

Although countries not aligned with US geopolitical interests have been buying gold on a massive scale for a decade, Russia’s gold-buying spree spiked in response to Western sanctions following the 2014 annexation of Crimea. In less than a year, Russia’s gold reserves rose from 8.4% to 10.6%, and by 2021 the figure was around 20%.

The use of economic sanctions by the US and its client states as an instrument of coercion is not new. Countries such as China, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Russia and even the European Union bloc have been suffering, to a greater or lesser extent, the consequences of this geopolitical doctrine linked to an incessant trade war for years.

This is why many countries have been forced to implement anti-sanctions measures and seek alternatives to Western financial interdependence in order to guarantee their sovereignty and shield their economies. The events of recent years have only reinforced the need for these measures and confirmed the quality of gold as a safe-haven asset and antidote against the economic sanctions.

The temporary convertibility of the rouble to gold at a fixed price did not mean a return to the “gold standard“, but it was a key tool to recover and stabilise the value of the rouble after the fall experienced by the sanctions. A revaluation of the rouble against the dollar has even allowed the Central Bank of Russia to lower interest rates in order to avoid an excessive appreciation of the state currency.

China’s purchase of Russian gold is exponentially increasing

After a large part of Western governments banned Russian gold imports, China has been buying Russian gold in record numbers. In July alone it imported 109 million euros worth, an increase of 750% over the previous month and 4,800% over the same month last year.

The G7 countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United States and the European Union, used to buy 90% of Russia’s gold, equivalent to some 19 billion euros a year. China and other non-aligned countries are more than willing to fill the vacuum left by the West.

Another consequence of the sanctions has been the Russian government’s announcement of the creation of its own precious metals exchange, tentatively named Moscow World Standard (MWS), to compete with the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA), often accused of manipulating the price of gold. A scenario that could be a paradigm shift if other major gold producers and buyers such as China, Venezuela, India and Peru support it, controlling 62% of the world gold market.

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Durant molt de temps el sud-est asiàtic ha observat de reüll l’expansió dels BRICS, però en els últims mesos cada vegada més països de l’ASEAN estan considerant la possibilitat d’unir-se al grup a la recerca de noves oportunitats comercials i com a cobertura enfront dels riscos geopolítics.

L’acrònim anglès BRICS, de Brasil, Rússia, Índia, Xina i Sud-àfrica, va ser suposadament encunyat per un economista de Goldman Sachs per referir-se a les economies emergents. Inicialment com a BRIC, amb la “S” afegida més tard quan Sud-àfrica es va unir formalment al grup el 2010. 

D’aquests cinc membres originals, l’organització intergovernamental s’ha anat ampliant fins a conformar deu membres, afegint Egipte, Etiòpia, l’Iran, l’Aràbia Saudita i els Emirats Àrabs al grup que ara es coneix com a BRICS+. Els diferents països membres exerceixen la presidència de manera rotativa durant un any, sent també el país que presideix l’encarregat de dirigir el cim anual.

La popularitat d’aquesta força multipolar que pretén redefinir l’ordre polític i econòmic internacional, fins ara dominat per les organitzacions creades per les potències occidentals que sovint han vetllat pels seus propis interessos i han descuidat les necessitats de les economies en vies de desenvolupament, s’ha vist reflectida en els més de 40 països que han manifestat el seu interès per unir-se a l’agrupació.

Durant molts anys, els països del Sud-est Asiàtic, una regió vital del Sud Global, han estat els grans absents dels BRICS. Una conjuntura que està a punt de canviar després d’observar d’aprop com l’associació s’ha convertit en el bloc de producte interior brut (PIB) més gran del món, contribuint amb un 31.5% al ​​PIB mundial. 

Diversificació i noves oportunitats de comerç

Més enllà del PIB, els BRICS+ representen el 45% de la població mundial, el 25% del comerç mundial i una gran oportunitat per a les economies en vies de desenvolupament que volen diversificar les seves aliances econòmiques i polítiques en un món cada cop més multipolar.

Malàisia i Tailàndia són les últimes nacions del sud-est asiàtic que han presentat una sol·licitud d’adhesió al grup ampliat dels BRICS, mentre altres nacions com Myanmar, Laos, Cambodja, Vietnam i Indonèsia també han manifestat el seu interès per unir-se a aquesta associació d’economies emergents.

La Xina és el major soci comercial de Malàisia i Tailàndia des de fa més d’una dècada, per tant, que aquestes nacions formin part dels BRICS és una progressió natural de les seves bones relacions amb el gegant asiàtic. Segons James Chin, professor d’Estudis Asiàtics de la Universitat de Tasmània, “tant Tailàndia com Malàisia són vistes com a potències mitjanes. És millor que s’uneixin a grups com el dels BRICS per a tenir més veu en l’escena internacional. Però el benefici més gran serà el comerç.”

Per altra banda, el creixent antagonisme de Washington amb l’ús de sancions econòmiques contra la Xina, Rússia o qualsevol altre país que desafiï la seva hegemonia econòmica i geopolítica, està provocant que l’opinió pública es giri en contra dels Estats Units. Segons l’última enquesta sobre l’Estat del Sud-est Asiàtic 2024 de l’Institut Yusof Ishak (SSEA), la majoria dels enquestats conclou que, si es veiessin obligats a triar, preferirien que l’ASEAN s’alineés amb la Xina abans que amb els Estats Units. 

Això suposa una inversió de les tendències d’anys anteriors, en els quals es va observar un major suport regional a l’alineació amb els Estats Units. Si més no, és un clar exemple que els BRICS no són només un grup purament econòmic, com afirmen algunes de les parts, sinó que s’han convertit en un actor important del joc d’escacs geopolític global, on la Xina i Rússia cada vegada hi tenen més influència en detriment dels poders establerts occidentals.

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The new Cold War between the United States and Russia has been spurred on by the conflict in Ukraine. Economic sanctions imposed by the Western bloc controlled by the American giant are punishing the Russian economy, but also that of the European Union. Russia has taken measures to counter the American threat, and gold plays a key role that could trigger a paradigm shift in the international economic order.

The use of economic sanctions by the US and its client states as an instrument of coercion is not new. In recent decades, it has been a doctrine that has been applied extensively by the US administration. Democrats and Republicans alike have used it against any country that opposes US economic or political interests.

Throughout history, the application of sanctions has been shown to be ineffective in forcing a change of behaviour. Still, it can be a useful tool when the aim is to punish a country economically, especially the working class, or to weaken its defensive capacity in preparation for a coup or military intervention. However, the application of these punitive measures also has a downside.

While countries with little military capacity or global economic clout have no choice but to resort to the black market or trade agreements with states not aligned with the West in order to circumvent economic sanctions, big global players such as China or Russia are creating an alternative or multilateral economic system to shield their economies, as well as their technological and military capabilities.

Alternatives to Western interdependence

As in so many international conflicts, the rhetoric applied by Western media and politicians when they constantly repeat that the “international community” has decided certain things or condemns the actions of certain countries, we cannot forget that this so-called “international community” only includes the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and perhaps Australia, Japan, and some Micronesian islands, but leaves out a large part of the international community that either opposes this rhetoric or prefers to remain neutral.

Therefore, we have to keep this multilateral world in mind when understanding that, while the mislabelled “international community” includes a very significant part of the most influential global actors, there are other important economic actors such as the Asian bloc, led by China, which are quite relevant and are increasing their global influence year after year.

That said, it is true that the power of influence that the West boasts thanks to its dominance of the interconnection tools of the global financial system goes beyond its myopic definition of the international community. The hegemony of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency, the Swift protocol for communications between banks, banking transactions via Visa or Mastercard, together with control of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, give the West, especially the United States, an unparalleled capacity for persuasion.

In this sense, both Russia and China have already created alternative systems that have come into operation in recent years and that to a greater or lesser extent are lessening the negative effects of the sanctions imposed by the West in recent decades, and more recently due to the conflict in Ukraine. Domestic digital money or merchant-to-merchant payment systems, such as UnionPay and Mir, are growing in popularity beyond the borders of these two countries.

The new gold rush brings us closer to the gold standard

It is no secret that countries outside the Western sphere have been buying large amounts of gold for years, but it is perhaps less well known that central banks of other states are doing the same. The safe-haven asset value of the precious metal in times of crisis is more than established, but the increased interest in buying gold transcends concerns about sovereign debt bubbles or runaway inflation.

As seen last month from Russia, it can also serve to stabilise a monetary system whereby the value of currencies is underpinned by their convertibility to gold. This is known as the “gold standard”. Thus, the Russian government announced the temporary convertibility of the rouble to gold at a fixed value, which stabilised the value of the rouble, recovering from the fall against the dollar.

Still, it remains to be seen what final strategy will be pursued and the consequences for the international monetary system. The Russian government’s announcement that countries that apply US sanctions would have to buy oil and natural gas in roubles or gold could cause much of the global energy trade to shift away from the dollar, breaking the status quo.

Although, as Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov reported, Western sanctions have frozen half of the country’s foreign exchange and gold reserves, about $300 billion, Russia remains the world’s second-largest gold producer after China, with reserves worth $140 billion. The intrinsic difficulty in tracking purchases or sales made with precious metals calls into question the effectiveness of sanctions.

The viability of Russia keeping the rouble pegged to gold is closely related to Russian energy demand. Interdependence with EU countries will wane, even though countries such as Hungary and Germany have already announced that they will continue to buy gas from Russia paying in roubles, or euros converted into roubles, through Gazprom’s bank account.

Still, given the multipolarity of global power and the response of the (real) international community, Moscow’s ability to make a winning move in this international geopolitical chess game cannot be underestimated.

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The world is constantly evolving, but information does not always move at the same pace. Wikipedia takes this need and makes it its strength: everything you need to know is just a click away. We talked to Pau Colominas, Wikipedian and one of the people in charge of social networks in the Catalan-language version of this encyclopaedia.

In a world where everything advances at an accelerated pace, keeping information up to date is practically a luxury exclusive to social networks. With a filter of objectivity (to a greater or lesser extent) and under deontological codes, the media joins in to explain the daily events that happen everywhere. But where is all this information collected? Be it facts, people, concepts, or dates, the scope of information from the internet is so complex that it becomes diffuse and even unreliable.

In a new episode of People, we talk to Pau Colominas about Wikipedia, a free encyclopaedia where many volunteers collect and disseminate all kinds of content in our language. Everything we would find in a printed encyclopaedia is there. With an important nuance: the information can be updated at any time. A milestone that can only be achieved thanks to digitalisation and the efforts of hundreds of Wikipedians who dedicate their time to disseminating knowledge in Catalan to the Catalan and international community.

Searches in Catalan and quality

Pau Colominas highlights a crucial fact: “Catalan was the second language to upload content to the platform, after English“. Since then, the creation of content in our language has been on the rise, reaching the 700,000 articles that we can currently find. The impact of our language on the platform is significant, and Colominas highlights, in particular, the quality of this content, which, he says, “is often superior to that of other languages”.

The focus of the problem, however, remains when it comes to doing searches, and he points out that “even native Catalans tend to search the internet in Spanish“. Among the reasons, Colominas identifies the configuration of computers and search engines, and the imaginary of times gone by when the presence of Catalan on the internet was low and with lower quality content.

The involvement of an entire community to disseminate knowledge

A large team of volunteers makes it possible for Wikipedia’s mission to come to fruition. Colominas explains that you don’t need to be a scholar in any of the subjects, but you do need to be willing to dedicate time. He stresses that the dissemination of knowledge does not start from the content, but from the sources: “The guarantee of Wikipedia is the guarantee of the sources you use“.

All the information that Wikipedia collects is characterised by the fact that it has been published before, and this alone reduces the scope for inventiveness. In addition, a team of Wikipedians like Pau filter and identify any content that may be offensive to individuals or groups, or that may represent a conflict of interest.

11Onze is the fintech community of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut on Android and Apple and join the revolution!

Most of the time we learn about economics on our own. Not enough financial concepts are taught at school. That is why, if you want your son or daughter to have knowledge in this field, we recommend five books to help them understand the value of money and saving.

11Onze is the fintech community of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut on Android and Apple and join the revolution!

Sant Jordi celebrates books and roses. Culture and emotion. But what if this year we add a third layer? Understanding how the world around us works. In a context of permanent crisis —inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, fiscal pressure— reading is no longer just a pleasure: it is a tool of defense. And this is where La Plaça by 11Onze makes sense.

Sant Jordi has always been a celebration of culture. But today, economic literacy is more necessary than ever. It is not just about knowing what is happening, but understanding why it is happening. We live in a complex reality, where concepts such as inflation, interest rates, or public debt shape our daily lives, yet remain largely unknown to most people.

This is not by chance. As shown in the article on children’s financial education, the education system devotes fewer hours to these topics than other countries, despite having longer school days. The result? Adults making financial decisions without tools. Reading, therefore, becomes a form of self-defense.

La Plaça: much more than content

La Plaça is not just a space where articles are published. It is a knowledge ecosystem designed to empower the community. Here you will not only find headlines. You will find context. When discussing the cost of living, it does not stay on the surface: it explains that the minimum salary required to live with dignity in the Barcelona metropolitan area significantly exceeds the official minimum wage. This difference is not anecdotal: it is key to understanding why saving is becoming increasingly difficult.

When discussing taxes, it does not simply say they are rising. It analyzes how inflation acts as a hidden tax that increases fiscal pressure without changing tax rates.

And when discussing money, it questions the system. Articles about CBDCs bring an uncomfortable debate to the table: to what extent are we willing to give up control in exchange for convenience? This space does not tell you what to think. It gives you the tools to think.

There is a core idea running through much of the content: the current economic system is not neutral. The series of articles analyzing the extractive system shows how major powers have built a model that concentrates power through currency, technology, and finance. Or the concept of crony capitalism, which highlights how relationships between politics and large corporations can distort the market and harm the majority. This critical perspective is key, because understanding the system is not just an intellectual exercise: it is a matter of financial survival.

Deciding with criteria

One of today’s major challenges is knowing where to put your money. In a world of constant uncertainty, making financial decisions without criteria can be very costly. This is where this ecosystem makes the difference: it does not just provide quick answers, but opens up options and helps you understand them. Gold, for example, is presented as a safe-haven asset with thousands of years of history, capable of preserving value in times of crisis and instability.

At the same time, cryptocurrencies are analyzed as a disruptive phenomenon transforming the financial system, while also highlighting their volatility and associated risks. Because this is not about following trends or searching for magic formulas. It is about understanding what lies behind each decision. About understanding the rules of the game so you stop playing at a disadvantage. That is what La Plaça offers: criteria, context, and tools so you stop reacting and start deciding.

Sant Jordi: culture that protects

Giving a book for Sant Jordi is giving a story. But it can also mean giving awareness. In a world where headlines simplify and social media accelerates everything, stopping to read is almost a revolutionary act. And if what you read also helps you understand how money, the system, and power work, even more so. La Plaça turns reading into a practical tool: it does not just inform, it transforms.

Perhaps the key question is this: what is the point of earning money if we do not understand the system in which we use it? Without financial education, any crisis can catch us off guard. With knowledge, however, we can anticipate, protect, and decide. This Sant Jordi, among roses and books, there is a clear opportunity: to start looking at the economy with different eyes.

If you want to go beyond headlines, if you want to understand what is happening to your money and be part of a community committed to knowledge and transparency, La Plaça is where this shift in perspective begins. Step into La Plaça by 11Onze and start reading the world with clarity.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!