José Quisocala hasn’t even blown out his 15 candles yet, but he has already set up his own bank in 2012. This makes him the youngest banker in the world. Off to Peru, to discover the “Banco Cooperative del Estudiante Bartselana” (The Bartselana Student Cooperative Bank)…
A bank like no other
First peculiarity, the customers are only children. Indeed, the young entrepreneur regretted the lack of ecological awareness of his peers…
At school, my friends used their money for stickers, which they ended up throwing on the ground. Which also polluted the planet.
Interview Peruvian Ministry of the Environment.
He decided to do both by encouraging the children to do eco-goods and by providing them with a welcome income.
José therefore decided to do double duty by encouraging them to carry out eco-gestures while at the same time providing them with a welcome income, given the impact of poverty on Peruvian children in his town. The principle is simple. To open an account, you have to deposit 5 kg of recyclable waste and then contribute 1 Peruvian sol. The monthly minimum to be brought in then increases to 1 kg which converts to 80 cents of sol directly paid into the account. Having, a card, each “customer” can withdraw their balance whenever they wish. This is the first time that a customer has a card.
How to convert rubbish to money?
The waste collected each week is sent to recycling companies that process the plastic bottles and other notebooks collected. The bank now has more than 3,000 customers, from 10 to 18 years old, who recycle 1 tonne of waste per week!
To facilitate the recovery of waste, 7 kiosks have been opened and 25 others could follow. José has a lot of ambition and would like to see his initiative spread throughout Latin America. To the delight of the planet and his customers! For the record, one of the members of the ecological bank managed to save 800 Peruvian soles, i.e. about 215 euros.
A story that has only just begun
José Quisocala has already started to diversify his actions. Aware that the best way to engage and convince is through words, José gives “financial education” courses. His students learn about saving and the eco-gestures of everyday life. In addition, Professor José has set up recycling bins in his school.
The downside is that he is criticised for not making the most of his childhood. To which José replies:
Many people think I don’t enjoy my childhood. I believe that everyone lives the stages of their life as they should, and I’m fine like that.
The future of the planet is at stake today, and José and other young people like him have decided to take action to shape the future world they will live in. We never stop learning, and inspiring examples like this are not a matter of age but of will… The world’s youngest banker inspires us with his wisdom and ambiton.
