In the first decade of the 21^st century, many initiatives for regional currencies have sprung up in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Compared to previous local currencies, these new regional currencies aspire to reach farther and to create a larger momentum. In a comparative survey, the supplier structures of 16 regional currencies in the German-speaking countries were analyzed with respect to differences due to their design and the characteristics of their region. The chiemgauer in Southern Germany has proved that a large spectrum of consumer products and services can be supplied in the frame of a regional currency.

However, from a narrow economic view, regional currencies are still in an initial phase. For assessing them, it is worth exploring their broader significance as a means of communication that facilitates the integration of different perspectives, linking problem-solving within in the region to a consideration of global issues. Learning from pre-modern local currencies may help sharpen the characteristics of complementary currencies even in a modern context. Placing them in a larger frame of “solidarity economy” may increase their impact. This would include a re-definition of the notion of “work” and the development of an accompanying infrastructure of social institutions.