Collaborative economy: sharing is living

You have probably heard of the sharing economy, i.e. all those activities that involve the exchange of goods and services between people. But what exactly characterises this model, and how can it be put into practice in the digital age?

Before the collaborative economy became a trend, its consumption was limited to the closest circle. Everything stayed at home, it was almost on a family scale. However, thanks to the Internet, it is possible to connect with people from all over the world with common interests. The digitalisation of society and the economic crisis have favoured the development of new business models and new forms of consumption.

The collaborative economy has several advantages. Firstly, it allows us to optimise resources, as we can make our products more useful. In addition, it also offers the end consumer greater variety. It is also a good model for making savings, because customers can buy second-hand goods and services at a lower price than the market price. All of this generates an ecosystem based on commitment, solidarity, and the generation of ideas, often from entrepreneurs with new businesses, which generate employment, wealth, and innovation.

On the other hand, it should also be borne in mind that the collaborative economy, being a model between individuals, doesn’t have a legally regulated market and competition is quite unfair. For this reason, it is a sector that gives rise to complaints and protests from the sectors affected, which can leave consumers unprotected.

Collaborative economy, a range of possibilities

Within this collaborative economy model, which is also typically referred to as the “sharing economy”, there are many types, with different functions, varying according to needs and products. There are, for example, collaborative consumption companies, which use digital platforms through which users contact each other to exchange goods or items, such as collaborative transport, collaborative accommodation and collaborative second-hand trade, among others.

There are also open knowledge companies, all those that promote the dissemination of knowledge without legal or administrative barriers. They can be presented on a day-to-day basis through computer platforms to which users with needs come. There is also the collaborative production model, digital interaction networks that promote the dissemination of projects or services of all kinds. The difference with the two previous models is that what is offered is also produced within these platforms.

Finally, there are the crowdfunding initiatives. Microcredits, loans, savings, donations, and financing channels are included in this subgroup, where users contact each other to cover needs in any of these aspects. The best example is crowdfunding platforms, a funding model for those who wish to donate to specific initiatives.

The four characteristics of the model

Despite the heterogeneity of the companies and industries that fall within this model, sharing economy companies can be described by four characteristics:

1. They employ information technologies (ICT), available through web-based platforms such as mobile “apps” on internet-enabled devices, to facilitate transactions between two parties.
   
2. They rely on user-based rating systems for quality control, ensuring a level of trust between consumers and service providers that did not exist before.
3. They offer flexibility to workers because this team often delivers its services through digital matching platforms.
4. The team has its own tools. To the extent that tools and assets are necessary to deliver a service, digital matching companies rely on workers to use their own.

In short, the collaborative economy model can help our companies grow, because it allows consumers to save money, because it is committed to sustainable development, because it promotes a new management of resources, because there is more choice and because, in the end, all of this brings environmental benefits.

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

At this time, more than ever, we must support local products in order to continue the work carried out by 8,000 winegrowers and 800 wineries in Catalonia. Wineries that, with the confinement and closure of restaurants and bars, are finding it difficult to reach their estimated sales and meet their structural costs

The culture, tradition and landscape of wine are part of the history of Catalonia. Our country has 12 Denominations of Origin (DO) that guarantee the quality of our wines: Alella, Catalonia, Cava, Conca de Barberà, Costers del Segre, Empordà, Montsant, Penedès, Pla del Bages, Priorat, Tarragona and Terra Alta. In each of these areas, the geography, climate and grape varieties mean that the wines produced in Catalonia are diverse but have a common denominator: quality products thanks to the dedication and desire to excel of the producers and winemakers.

• Catalonia, the cradle of viticulture 

CEVIPE (Centro Vinícola del Penedès) is a second-degree cooperative company that brings together 16 wine cooperatives from the Alt and Baix Penedès, Garraf, Tarragonès, Alt Camp and Conca de Barberà regions. Its mission is to offer technical and human resources to improve the economic income of the winegrowers and, therefore, they focus their objectives on a process of continuous improvement, from the quality of vine cultivation to the production and marketing of wines and cavas. The commitment to the territory is an exclusive asset, protecting its products under the quality label of the different Designations of Origin of Catalonia and the Cava Designation of Origin.

The entity was founded in 1985, when the five cooperatives of Baix Penedès Albinyana, Bellvei, Lorenzo, Calafell and Vendrell founded the second-tier cooperative in order to facilitate the processes of innovation and modernisation, while reducing costs and achieving a concentration in the volume of supply in the cava market. The good performance and increased demand for these wines led to the process of integrating more cooperatives into the group.

Thanks to the union of these cooperatives, it was possible to invest in refrigeration equipment to ferment the must at a controlled temperature, a system that was beginning to spread to other parts of Europe and which was still residual in Catalonia. The traditional winemaking system was left behind and a new era began in terms of wine quality. The market demanded fruity wines with a pleasant taste, and this could only be achieved by fermenting the musts at low temperatures to prevent the aromas from vaporising. The demand for these wines was already much higher and was still growing.

• From Catalonia to Europe: Catalan wines lead the way

This economic incentive, together with the vision for the future of CEVIPE’s leaders, facilitated the implementation of a modern, quality production system that favoured the conquest of markets and, as a result, an increase in customers. This led to the process of integrating more cooperatives into the group and meant an important economic effort in the cooperative sector in this region, which found it essential to modernise its wineries in order to obtain the base wine demanded by the sector’s marketing companies. 

At the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s, CEVIPE began to open up to Europe to make its wines known, mainly in Germany, France and Luxembourg. Currently, the export volume is around 20%. The opening up in Europe professionalised and broadened the cooperative’s focus, which plays a key role in balancing supply and demand for the benefit of maintaining the area’s wine-growing operations. CEVIPE has more than 2,200 wine-growing members, who cultivate more than 6,200 hectares with an average production of 55 million kilos each year and an average annual turnover of 30 million euros. They are present in 5 different Denominations of Origin in addition to their 3 agro-shops located in the town of El Vendrell and in L’Arboç. They have a website where you can buy from anywhere with an internet connection and even order home delivery.

• A Sant Jordi marked by wine

There are 62 wine cooperatives in Catalonia, which produce 50% of Catalan wine and account for more than half of all winegrowers. The Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Catalonia (FCAC) held a competition on Sant Jordi’s Day last year, in the middle of the pandemic, asking participants “With which cooperative book and wine will you celebrate Saint George’s Day?” An initiative widely celebrated at home under the hastag #santjordiacasa which promoted, in a fun way, a new way of celebrating the festival through wine. The winner was Jaume Rojales, with a Facebook post recommending the wine “Lágrimas de Otoño” from the cooperative San José Wines de Bot. The book “La Catedral del Mar” was chosen through a random online draw among all participants.

The result: users recommended more than 50 cooperative wines, and FCAC’s Twitter and Facebook profiles received numerous posts from consumers recommending books along with these 50 wines from all over the country. The cooperatives that were most represented were Bodegas Domenys, Celler Batea, Bodega Cooperativa de Gandesa, Empordàlia and San José Wines. Wines from Bodega Cooperativa de Garriguella, Vinícola del Priorat, Cooperativa de Bràfim, Covides, Bodega Cooperativa de Espolla, Cooperativa Falset Marçà, Vinícola de Sarral, Cooperativa Agrícola de Corbera de Ebro, Cooperativa de Salomón and Cooperativa de Ulldemolins, among others, were also recommended. 

On the eve of a new Saint George’s Day and with the hope of being able to celebrate it in the street as was traditional, the wine sector opens up a new possibility to people, showing that, although we have to stay home, if we do it in the company of a good local wine, the celebration will be double. So, whether the streets are filled with roses and books or not, which cooperative wine will you be celebrating Sant Jordi with this year?

In the real estate market, and specifically in the rental market, we can find very different situations that can lead to abuses and breaches of current regulations at all times. But does the tenant suffer all the abuse? Or can the owner also feel helpless?

Last September, the new Rental Price Containment Act came into force (11/2020 Law of September 18), with the aim of curbing the huge rise in prices that was being experienced, especially in Barcelona and the metropolitan area. This lowers and freezes the price of new rentals in areas with high demand for housing. An average reduction of 4.12% has been achieved.

With these measures, it seems that politicians are responding to the demands of platforms and unions, in favour of affordable or, at least, regulated housing. A Quick Guide has even been published to announce the scope of the new regulations.

What are the abuses?

Clearly, it was unsustainable to keep the upward pattern in rental prices, as has been happening in recent years. Tenants have basic rights that are sometimes violated, and they should report them if they find themselves in any of the following situations of abuse:

• Upon signing the rental agreement, the owner must deliver the certificate of occupancy and the energy certificate. Obtaining these documents comes at a cost, so some owners may try to rent the home without having them, even though they are mandatory. For the rental of commercial premises, only the energy certificate is required. 
• Make a peaceful use of the home, without the owner being able to disturb it. Many times the so-called real estate bullying (harassment) occurs, that is, making the tenant’s life miserable and forcing them to leave, thus being able to speculate with that home. These actions are usually carried out by large holders, such as mutual funds.
• The owner must take care of the necessary repairs and maintenance. The tenant can make these repairs if they are urgent, with prior notice, and they can be deducted from the price, but sometimes these repairs are not considered necessary, and there is no refund of the cost.
• They can terminate the contract and have the deposit back, but there are owners who do not want to return it, and this money could not have been deposited in INCASÒL as required. This may mean that the rental has not been registered and, as a result, you may have more difficulty having the deposit back.

However, the right to the return of the deposit is lost if the home is left damaged, which can lead to a repair cost.

Protection of owners

However, you may find that the owner is not to blame for a conflicting relationship with the tenant. For example, it may happen that the home has not been legally rented, but someone has decided to move in without permission; that there are defaults on the agreed rent; or even that there is a misbehaviour of the tenant.

The new law does not resolve any of these situations in which an owner may be. However, as citizens, they also have the right to be given tools to resolve them. The only forecast that is made is for small tenants who may be in a vulnerable situation, who are allowed a 5% increase in rent, above the established maximums.

Owners can easily find themselves helpless as they are considered to be the strongest side in the deal. But the truth is that they can see how a tenant stops paying or damages their home, and that the solution to the problem always has to end up in court, which means a high cost of time and money. 

The point is that this problem affects investment funds and small holders alike. With the new regulations, it seems that this situation is beginning to reverse, as they take into account the diversity of owners that exist, and make the distribution of responsibilities in this madness that is the real estate market a little more equitable.

If you want to know more about superior options to make your money profitable, go to Guaranteed Funds. From 11Onze Recomana we propose you the best options in the market.

Villages and micro-villages in Catalonia have been suffering from depopulation during decades; a trend marked by job opportunities and the centralisation of business networks in the cities that the pandemic has definitely changed: rural displacement is returning.

Since 2019, demographic data shows that rural depopulation in Catalonia is being halted thanks to more than 4,000 people who have moved. Since then, and especially since the pandemic, the numbers have continued to rise. According to Barcelona City Council, by the beginning of 2021 more than 13,000 registered residents left the city to move from the metropolitan area to rural municipalities.

An increasing number of people are working remotely from the countryside. 11Onze’s team leader, Lara de Castro, tells us how to do it.

The administration encourages rural afforestation

The aim of the Councils is to attract new inhabitants, mainly families and young people, to slow down the ageing of the rural population. But this can only be achieved if all the actors join forces.

At the end of 2020, the Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Government of Catalonia launched a programme to promote housing in rural areas. Two million euros were allocated for rehabilitating unused housing to encourage new families to move in. In villages such as Garidells, in Alt Camp, it was precisely the lack of housing that led them to lose 18.8% of their inhabitants in the last ten years, to only 190 registered inhabitants.

The management of the local Councils is very important, as the Diputació de Lleida, that presented a few days ago a new budget item to halt depopulation through actions such as encouraging digital connectivity. At the local level, Councils are also creating promotional campaigns, through the rehabilitation of spaces, aid for young people or the advantages that a new life in the countryside can offer, such as the Cardona City Council’s campaign “A new life“.

The society, on the other hand, has created citizen initiatives to fill villages with life. This is the case of Repoblem (Repopulate), the project that has revolutionised social networks, bringing together other projects and opportunities in rural areas and people who may be interested.

Psychology backs up the benefits of rural life

Social and environmental psychologist Mathew White has conducted a study of 10,000 people during eighteen years and found that people who live in contact with nature have less mental fatigue, lower rates of depression and a higher quality of life.

The ability to disconnect, to get away from the hectic pace and visual stress of the city or the ease of access to natural and organic products are some of the advantages that rural dwellers value most. Rural life also increases the feeling of belonging to a community, which reduces the sense of isolation and loneliness. 

This is the case of Susanna, who has lived for twenty years in the urban centre of Pallejà and now returns with her whole family to the village of Gandesa, where she is from. She is a sanitary worker and, for both her family and her, the confinement was the decisive point for moving. The advantages were clear: “more freedom and also much more security”. The only inconvenience was the change in social life, as there are few friends who live year-round.

Financial and digital exclusion, the unresolved issue

Villages face the challenge of financial, digital and communication exclusion. The communications system, transport and business network are clearly centralised in the big cities, and this can be a major challenge for rural inhabitants, who have to travel to do anything. 

The pandemic has shown that access to the digital network opens up a world of possibilities for working or studying from anywhere; it means individual freedom to decide, but with the major conditioning factor of connectivity.

Catalonia faces the challenge of bringing connectivity to all these areas. It would be an unprecedented technological milestone that would position Catalonia internationally as a strategic point for the development of the 5G strategy. A revolution in the world of communications that would offer the intersectoral consolidation of the social and productive network: fostering a new technology industry, attracting talent, leading the world in 5G and bringing together the administration and telecommunications operators to accelerate the deployment and coverage of 5G throughout the territory.

All these challenges, projects and demands make up the current map of depopulation in Catalonia and show that the roadmap in this regard is clear: if territorial distribution must include villages, then villages must have access to all the services.

Do you want to be the first to receive the latest news about 11Onze? Click here to subscribe to our Telegram channel

And the next day, nothing was ever the same again. The Catalan state disappeared ‘ipso facto’ with the abolition of the Generalitat, the municipal dismemberment and the annulment of the Catalan constitutions following the loss of the War of Succession (1701 -1714). After this, the only administration that remained active in Catalonia was the army of occupation, which, by maintaining some 25,000 permanent soldiers within the Principality, consolidated the Bourbon objective by means of harsh repression that would last until the mid-18th century. But not everyone faired badly…

As a result of the victory, the elite of the Bourbon army was permanently installed in Catalonia: the Royal Castilian Guards and the Royal Walloon Guards, reinforced by other special military occupation contingents. The total number of troops deployed throughout Catalonia was 47% of the total for the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. And if we add those deployed in the rest of the territories of the Catalan Countries – Valencia, Majorca and Aragon – the figure rises to 65%. A full-blown invasion.

The drafting of the Nueva Planta Decree would turn Catalonia into just another province of a new centralised monarchy that would rule over the entire Iberian Peninsula without legal differences. Thus, the dream of a Hispanic monarchy based on the existence of different kingdoms and cultural realities on the peninsula would crumble, but it would not disappear. From then on, there would only be a single Cortes, those of Castile, which would represent the whole of the peninsular territories, but would focus on a new political construction structured around identifying Castile with the new state.

Eighteenth-century Catalonia would be a territory governed solely by the military. The supreme head of the administration of Catalonia would be the Captain General. Territorial administration – the ‘corregimientos’ – would be in the hands of the ‘corregidores’, who would always be military men. Public order – in the first instance – would always be in the hands of the army and the famous “Veciana Squads”. This institution was founded in 1719 by Pere Anton Veciana Rabassa, a deserter from the Austracist cause who in early 1713 decided to place himself at the service of the Bourbon king and create a paramilitary and police organisation that would work at the service of the Captain General -Francisco Pío de Saboya y Moura-, with the mission of continuing to repress internal Bourbon resistance.

Veciana would set up a system of criminal files – known as ‘summary files’ – which would enable the corps to systematise police information. He also created a network of informers throughout the territory and organised the first agents to infiltrate the resistance. In 1735, Veciana had to resign his post for reasons of age, and it was then that the Captain General transferred the responsibilities of the corps to his son, Pere Màrtir Veciana. From then on, the command of the corps would be inherited by the Veciana family for five generations, until 1836.

Repression and state terrorism

For eleven years, Catalonia was subjected to harsh military repression, which lasted until 1725, when, through the Treaty of Vienna between the representatives of Philip V of Castile and Charles VI of Austria, the two sides mutually recognised each other’s succession rights and put an end to the dynastic dispute.

And what happened to the supporters who fought in favour of the Archduke of Austria’s choice? During the war, as the Bourbon armies occupied the Principality, a kind of ‘military terrorism’ was applied, which consisted of persecuting the local population, regardless of the degree of connection they had had with the Austracist cause, with the aim of undermining morale. After the fall of Barcelona, the main military commanders who had not been able to flee to Austria – such as Antoni de Villarroel – were indiscriminately persecuted and sent to prisons scattered around the Iberian Peninsula. Most of them ended up dying without ever regaining their freedom, while others were sent to the galleys.

The long post-war period allowed the repression to continue against all the armed elements that were still fighting against the new legal system, such as the notorious ‘carrasclets’. But all those families whose members were in exile in Austria were also persecuted and forbidden from maintaining any correspondence. The losers of the war were to have their property seized and all their rights revoked. They would even be banned from taking part in all public tenders or applying for state aid.

The establishment of permanent contingents in Catalonia would lead to a significant increase in military demand due to the need to supply royal troops. According to the General Manuals of the Quartermaster’s Office of Catalonia – an institution created to manage the post-war period – between 1714 and 1735 a total of 271 ‘asientos’ or contracts directly related to the supply of materials to the army and navy are recorded: gunpowder, weapons, artillery trains, uniforms, food, ironwork for horses.

The ‘asientos’ were also used for the construction or supply of barracks, such as the Ciutadella, and to produce everything necessary for subsequent Bourbon military campaigns, such as those in Italy. And this supply would come about thanks to the existence of a considerable productive, commercial and financial structure that had remained unchanged despite the war, and which would be capable of solvently producing the ‘seats’ that the monarchy would need over the following decades.

Catalan collaborationism

So, the question to ask ourselves is clear: how was it possible to maintain a Catalan productive structure in the context of the war at the beginning of the 18th century? How was it possible to supply the Bourbon army during the invasion of Catalonia and the siege of Barcelona in a territory that was completely unknown to them? Well, with the help of local characters who supplied, lent or helped the Bourbon army of occupation with food, money and logistics throughout that turbulent period. They were a group of merchants who changed sides – just like Pere Anton de Veciana – in search of a more favourable personal situation and taking advantage of the circumstances to improve their social and economic position.

Names such as the Milans of Arenys, the Mates and Lapeira of Mataró or the Massiques of Vilassar and many others would be great family names that would establish their prestige throughout the 18th century for having obtained important privileges as thanks for the services rendered during the occupation of the Principality. Many of these “illustrious” figures would be placed in key institutions for the deployment and execution of the Nueva Planta Decree, because otherwise it would not have been possible.

The new regime would pass “a disinfectant cotton wool over Catalonia”, in order to subsequently build a new network of local loyalties that would consolidate it within the territory. This reason why they were placed at the head of key institutions, such as the General Treasury (Catalonia’s taxation), the General Intendancy (Catalonia’s supply and logistics), the Confiscations of Catalonia (seizure of property) and the Bureau de Change (communal bank), a minority but large sector of the Principality’s population who, for various reasons, sided with the Bourbon proposal. In this way, the monarchy combined the principle of authority, as represented by the laws deployed in the Nueva Planta Decree, with a large institutional bureaucracy and flexibility with certain local social sectors, mainly the master craftsmen and merchants, who had sufficient economic resources to boost the economy.

The self-interested attachment of these sectors of Catalan society to the new Bourbon State gave them access to new sources of income derived directly from the new policies of Bourbon absolutism. Loyalty would give them access to large public contracts, which would lead to widespread corruption at all levels of public administration.

Until the end of the 1740s, Catalonia underwent a painful period of adaptation to its new status as a defeated nation, always suspected of disaffection. From then on, economic policy decisions were no longer taken in Barcelona, but at the Bourbon Court, following criteria based on the dreams of grandeur of the new reigning monarchy, regardless of the needs of its subjects.

BASIC BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benet Oliva i Ricós: ‘Els proveïdors catalans de l’exèrcit borbònic durant el setge de Barcelona de 1713/1714’, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, 2014.

David Ferré Gispets: Els efectes del “Contractor State” borbònic a la Catalunya d’inicis del segle XVIII, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 2019.

Josep Maria Delgado Ribas: ‘Barcelona i el model econòmic de l’absolutisme borbònic: un tret per la culata’, Barcelona Quaderns d’Història, 23 (2016), pàg. 225-242.

Josep Juan Vidal: ‘Les conseqüències de la guerra de Successió: nous imposts a la Corona d’Aragó, una penalització o un futur impuls per al creixement econòmic?’, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma de Mallorca, 2013.

Find out about the families that were enriched by the defeat of 1714 on 11Onze TV.

Learning the value of money can be so much more than a game for children. Passing on the values of economy to them can bring them values such as responsibility, collaboration, saving, learning to negotiate, or even entrepreneurship.

Experts recommend starting to talk about private and family financial management from the age of seven, when children can become aware that the ATM does not give money because it is magical, but because adults, with their work, earn it and keep it in the bank.

It is within the family that the first values about money are learned. Today, most children in our society have grown up in a consumerist system that has made them used to having it all, and having it all now. In this sense, the first lesson to be learned is that access to money is limited to one’s own productive capacity. They need to be taught to see the value of living within their limitations, and to be aware from a very young age that knowing how to spend is as important as knowing how to save.

Children and teenagers, the great consumers

Montse Junyent, educated in business management and administration, advises passing on to children “the value of money, which is hard to earn and must be used ethically“. Show them, from an early age, that all the decisions we make have an economic impact, from buying and accumulating toys, to the practice of buying and throwing, food waste, or even the use of plastic bags. Children can understand that one of these bags can end up in the sea and take four hundred and fifty years to disintegrate. Make them aware that the Earth is finite, and we must take responsibility and take care of it through sustainable consumption actions. Adults and children must be consistent with this idea and act responsibly in all areas, in our relationship with people, with the environment, with the world, or with our way of consuming.

Junyent also defends the economy of the common good, with the aim of “contributing to the construction of a more sustainable and fair life system”. She is committed to “transmitting and publicizing sustainable alternative economic models and helping children to grow as committed people, with criteria, information, and a desire to change what they do not like.” That is, to give children all the tools that allow them to be independent and make their own decisions, based on values such as commitment, sustainability, honesty, innovation, and creativity.

Values that can be passed on in many ways, including through games or stories, and that begin in school. Sustainability, for example, is one of the issues of most concern today, and therefore much talked about within the education system. On the other hand, according to Junyent, children are not taught to talk about economics from an ethical and responsible point of view as much as they should.

The value of money through pay

Many parents have doubts about whether to give money to their children. They often wonder when they should start giving their children allowance, and what the ideal amount is.

Allowance can be an important way of teaching children how to manage and value money, a learning that will serve them well in the future. There is no set age to start using money, but it is essential that when they do, they understand its value and the importance of saving.

Some parents associate pay with doing household chores, a view that many questions, arguing that all members of the family should collaborate in this type of activity. Whatever the mentality, the point is that the model of education that the child receives must be coherent. Therefore, it is not a question of whether to pay or not, but to find the perfect formula for learning through values.

Suggesting to children what they should spend their allowance on

As the child gets older, the allowance can be increased, always depending on the use that is made of it. It is important to suggest to children what they should spend it on, taking into account their wishes and the need they have for the product in question. Beyond avoiding the purchase of products that may not benefit them, it is important to establish a fluid conversation, without imposing anything, where we make them see the consequences of each of their purchases. It will also be a good time to show them new forms of consumption, always opting for a sustainable consumption model, which can provide a real benefit and for as long as possible over time, and for them to understand, in short, that money is there to make their lives easier and that using it unconsciously can lead to negative situations.

We usually start this teaching at around five or six years of age, although it can also be beneficial to do so at preschool age. For example, you can show them how picking up their toys can have a reward, whether in the form of a treat or something else, the point is to learn that if our actions have a positive impact, we will be rewarded. And maybe at first it will be through material things, or when we start working it will be through money, but over the years this teaching will mean that the best reward is the one we make for ourselves, based on our own values.

Teaching to save and share

A good way to show the importance of saving can be to divide the money that the child receives, from an early age, into two parts. The first is in the form of a piggy bank that they can keep at home, where they can keep all the money that can be spent, which would be the daily economy. On the other hand, you can have a bank account where you can put money for future savings. In this way, he will create a relationship with money from both perspectives and understand its importance.

Another important learning will be about sharing. Money does not have to be an individual possession, it can also be shared. An idea that may seem controversial socially, as we relate to money from the point of view of possession and, therefore, it individualises it. Educating children in this issue will allow them to experience this relationship from another point of view, with a more collective vision and social responsibility. It is important to show, by example, that money can be a tool to help others, from making donations to the most disadvantaged to shopping in a specific shop where the profits are used for social projects. There are many ways to help, and it is worth instilling this habit in children and young people.

In conclusion, children need to be taught clear lessons about money, and the best way will always be through practice, copying the behaviours they see at home. Therefore, parents should be the example of this learning, teaching them not to buy on impulse, but to plan their goals, both in the short and long term. When the time is right, they can be encouraged to do small paid chores, and if approached from an educational point of view, giving them pay can become a decisive way of teaching children to manage and value money, a lesson that can mark their lives. Finally, and taking into account the weight that the new generations carry for the future, focus on teaching based on the construction of a more sustainable and fairer system of life for all.

Do you want to be the first to receive the latest news about 11Once? Click here to subscribe to our Telegram channel.

Technology, digitalisation, sustainability and the holistic well-being of workers will play a key role in shaping many jobs in the next five years. Analytical and creative thinking will continue to be the most important skills for employees in this evolving workplace.

The World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Report analyses how socio-economic and technology trends will shape the workplace of the near future. It brings together the perspectives of 803 companies employing more than 11.3 million people across 45 countries throughout the world.

The pandemic spurred a transformation of the workplace through teleworking, remote team management, migration of information to the cloud, implementation of new cybersecurity measures and online sales and customer service. Changing worker and consumer expectations and the urgent need for a green and energy transition are also reshaping the composition of the workforce and stimulating demand for new occupations and skills.

IT and technology professionals have led the change over the past three years. Job profiles within the ecosystem of Big Data, machine learning and the constant implementation of new digital solutions are assured to be in demand.

Regardless, one of the main conclusions of the study is that while the adoption of new technologies will continue to be the key driver of business transformation over the next five years, any investment in technology made by companies needs to be matched by an equivalent investment in people.

Macrotrends and technology adoption

The fastest-growing jobs will continue to be those related to new technologies. Specifically, artificial intelligence and machine learning experts top the list, followed by sustainability specialists, business intelligence analysts and information security analysts.

The sustainability sector will also play a prominent role. Jobs in renewable energy engineering and solar energy systems installations will continue to experience relatively rapid growth as economies accelerate their transformation to renewable energy.

On the other hand, the evolution of new technologies and digitalisation will negatively affect some office jobs, such as secretarial jobs, bank tellers, postal services, ticket agents and data entry jobs. Relatively repetitive jobs that require little creativity and can be replaced by artificial intelligence.

Analytical and creative thinking

Analytical thinking is considered a core competency by more companies than any other competency and constitutes, on average, 9% of the core competencies desired by companies. It is followed by creative thinking, ahead of personal performance-related skills such as resilience, flexibility and agility.

Reliability and attention to detail come in seventh place, behind technological literacy. Finally, the list is completed by skills related to working as a team; empathy, listening to others, leadership and social influence.

In this context, the majority of companies surveyed agree that investment in on-the-job learning and training and process automation are the most common people strategies they will adopt to achieve their organisations’ business goals.

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

11Onze Recommends, at the request of the community, has managed to get the provider to further improve Litigation Funding: you can now access the product with family or friends to get higher returns on your savings. The returns are quadruple the average returns of Spanish banks.

Litigation Funding is one of 11Onze Recommend’s most requested products, a fact that gives us the strength to ask for improvements from our provider. In this regard, some users noted that the best yields are achieved for higher amounts, which is a barrier to entry for many people.

As 11Onze’s chief financial officer, Farhaan Mir, explains: “To access the 9% per annum you have to contribute 25,000 euros and many people don’t have these amounts, but they also deserve to be able to save. So we thought, what can we do? We can’t ask for the amount to be reduced, but we can ask for it to be contributed by several people, so that, several people in the same family, or a group of friends, can save together. Each one with their documentation, transferring their amount and receiving the corresponding earnings in their account. The only requirement is that the aggregate amount corresponds to the amounts set by the provider.

Quadrupling the returns offered by banks

This move by 11Onze Recommends gives its community access to a savings product unheard of in the country. In October 2023, Spanish banks increased the interest paid to their clients, but they remain the lowest-yielding banks in Europe, offering an average yield of 2.3%. Litigation Funding, therefore, almost quadruples what Spanish banks offer and does so with extra security, as the funds are insured to cover the principal.

Community-saving

11Onze is thus reinforcing its community vision by now offering community-saving. “You no longer have to save alone and miss out on the best offers because you don’t have enough money. This would be unfair. Everyone should be able to save”, says Farhaan Mir. The product offered by our UK provider has become one of the star savings products. To find out more about the product, you need to be a member of 11Onze and go to the Litigation Funding section on our website.

If you are already a member of La Plaça you can request more information from our provider.

Les reclamacions per operacions fraudulentes que els clients de la banca van presentar al Banc d’Espanya durant el 2022 duplicaven les de l’any anterior. Una gran part d’aquestes demandes es corresponen a operacions de pagament efectuades amb targeta o per transferència via internet. T’expliquem com protegir-te del frau bancari i quins passos has de seguir per fer una reclamació.

L’últim informe publicat pel Banc d’Espanya en què detalla el nombre de reclamacions i consultes ateses durant el 2022 deixa una imatge preocupant de la gestió tecnològica de la banca espanyola. Les reclamacions per operacions fraudulentes van augmentar un 109,1%, duplicant les de l’exercici anterior. Concretament, es van tramitar 34.146 reclamacions en el Departament de Conducta d’Entitats del Banc d’Espanya i gairebé una de cada tres reclamacions (10.361, el 30,3% del total) estava relacionada amb operacions de pagament efectuades amb targeta (86,1%) o per transferència via internet (13,9%).

Per entitats, CaixaBank, BBVA i Banc Santander són les que més reclamacions reben, principalment pel seu gran volum de negoci, tot i que CaixaBank i BBVA reben més reclamacions de les que els correspondria per quota de mercat. En tot cas, és un problema generalitzat que afecta pràcticament la totalitat de la banca espanyola i que no desapareixerà, atesa la creixent popularitat de les compres per internet.

En general, les aplicacions bancàries i els pagaments en línia són molt segurs, tanmateix, aquesta seguretat també depèn en gran manera del comportament del mateix usuari en evitar que les seves dades personals del compte bancari o de la seva targeta es vegin compromeses. Dit això, tots podem ser víctimes de cobraments sospitosos en el nostre compte o targeta, per tant, fem un repàs a les estafes bancàries més freqüents.

Phishing i Smishing

Les pràctiques del phishing i smishing destaquen com unes de les principals causes que hi ha al darrere de l’increment de les reclamacions al Banc d’Espanya. Consisteixen a enviar a la víctima un correu electrònic (phishing) o un missatge d’SMS/WhatsApp (smishing) parany, per a aconseguir dades personals, com ara contrasenyes, claus bancàries o números de compte i de targetes de crèdit. El correu o missatge dirigeix al client cap a un duplicat fals d’una pàgina web o una aplicació de mòbil molt semblant a alguna de les que utilitza normalment, com pot ser la d’una entitat bancària, de manera que hi entri i se li pugui robar la informació. Els falsos pretextos poden ser molt variats: actualització del sistema, verificació de dades, problemes tècnics. 

Per tant, desconfieu de correus electrònics o SMS que us semblin sospitosos i no els obriu. I, sobretot, no faciliteu les vostres dades privades d’accés als serveis bancaris. Les entitats bancàries mai us demanaran les vostres dades personals o contrasenyes per correu electrònic o missatge de text.

Vishing

El vishing no és res més que una variant de les estafes anteriors que, en aquest cas, s’executa per via telefònica. L’estafador es fa passar per un treballador d’una entitat bancària o una empresa real i facilita un enllaç de parany o demana les dades personals directament a la víctima.

Com en els casos anteriors, hem d’evitar facilitar les nostres dades personals. Així mateix, no et refiïs d’ofertes o promocions que semblen massa bones per a ser certes. En cas de dubte, sempre et pots posar en contacte amb l’entitat bancària o companyia a través dels seus canals oficials.

Com fer una reclamació

En cas que s’efectuïn operacions no autoritzades en el teu compte bancari. Primer, canvia les teves contrasenyes de tots els serveis en línia i fes una reclamació al Servei d’Atenció o Defensa del Client de l’entitat financera. Pots fer-ho amb el full oficial de reclamació o trucant al telèfon gratuït per a incidències i reclamacions, tot demanant el número de referència corresponent a la teva reclamació. 

Paral·lelament, pots interposar una denúncia en una comissaria dels Mossos d’Esquadra, però hi ha poques probabilitats de trobar al responsable directe del delicte, perquè sovint es tracta de grups delictius o de delinqüents que es troben fora del territori nacional.

Si en el termini de trenta dies no has obtingut resposta de l’entitat bancària, o bé la resposta no és satisfactòria, contacta amb l’oficina de consum del teu municipi. Si el banc no et reintegra l’import extret fraudulentament o la mediació no prospera, pots recórrer al Banc d’Espanya o a la via judicial. Recorda que si i l’import de la reclamació no supera els 2.000 euros, no et caldrà advocat ni procurador. Pots trobar més informació aquí.

Protegeix-te de les crisis econòmiques amb el valor refugi per excel·lència: l’or. Si vols que els teus estalvis tinguin valor el dia de demà, Or Patrimoni.

Amid the debate on the changes that need to be made in education to reverse the low standards of Catalan students, 11Onze’s Director of Content and Media, Toni Mata, poses a new question: why aren’t the citizens of the future being educated financially?

So much has been said about the poor results of Catalan students in the PISA report that it seems the only solution will be to keep talking. Parole, parole, parole, as Xavier Massó of “Profesores de Secundaria” paraphrased a few days ago on Rac1. The truth is that suddenly, the country seems to be worried that young people don’t understand what they read. Is it a surprise? Is anyone interested in the new citizens learning something that will make them capable of living a fruitful life, as free and happy as possible? If this were the case, surely the educational curriculum would be quite different and financial education would surely play a central role.

In Catalonia, young people leave secondary school and high school without knowing how to read a payslip. Without understanding how taxes are calculated or what they do. Without having the remotest idea of how unemployment benefits or sick leave are calculated. Not understanding how money is created, what inflation is or how interest on a loan is calculated. How can our children be free citizens if they are unable to understand how to manage a commodity as essential to their lives as money? Some will say that in the humanistic and social baccalaureate, there is a subject of economics. And that is true. Well, not to worry then, I’m sure these students will teach it to the students of the other modalities.

And the adults?

They do not fare very well. According to OECD studies, only 34% of European adults have a minimum knowledge of financial literacy. It is most probably this widespread lack of knowledge that makes it possible for us to give so little importance to financial education. Secondary schools can indeed ask to participate in the financial education programme in schools. But here we are: which schools will ask about it if it is optional? How many workshops will be offered? And, above all, who will teach them? Behind the financial education programme in schools offered by the Generalitat, there are all the big Spanish and Spanish banks (formerly Catalan and Spanish). Are we really going to entrust the financial education of our sons and daughters to workshops given by bankers? And to what extent will the bankers be interested in our sons and daughters questioning whether the current model is acceptable?

It is frankly disheartening to see how the Department of Education fails to provide our children with the minimum tools to understand the world and to flourish by themselves. But all of this makes great systemic sense because it guarantees generations of dependent and therefore very complacent citizens. If you don’t know how the world works, it is impossible to change it.

But everybody relax! The Department of Education announced the creation of a commission of experts where, for sure, there will be representatives of prestigious foundations which in turn are full of more experts and which are very well-endowed with grants. So when they meet in this commission they will be very happy and no one will raise their hand to ask if they have to hire experts, commissions and foundations to do the work of the Department of Education, what exactly is the Department of Education for? So we could go back to financial education, and we would realise that knowing how public money is managed is also a dangerous subject because someone might ask these kinds of questions that are not in anybody’s interest.

Let’s try to find a solution

At 11Onze, we have been committed to financial education since the beginning. There are courses available in Learn, we started to roll out the 11Onze School project, we launched the series El Diner, and we continue to educate and inform about economics and finance every day through 11Onze Magazine. We try to make the economy understandable so that citizens can make informed decisions.

But the absolute truth is that we citizens are on our own. And that the years go by and the feeling of loneliness increases. And that there is only one way forward: to come together and make an effort. Hence, 11Onze’s desire to create a financially educated community. Only education will set us free. And quite clearly, this is the problem.

11Onze és la fintech comunitària de Catalunya. Obre un compte descarregant l’app El Canut per Android o iOS. Uneix-te a la revolució!