KU Business School students are joining forces with the Kingston Pound Project to help introduce a new currency for Kingston-Upon-Thames.
The project is expected to have a trial run next year and, if successful, Kingston could follow in the footsteps of Bristol and Brixton in having its own currency.
Andrew Connolly, co-founder of the project, said: “Involving the Business School offers the chance for our project to help students and gain increased credibility as we are open to academic scrutiny. The involvement of the University was always high-up on our list of priorities.”
The project and Kingston University are working hand-in-hand, with students helping contact local businesses to increase awareness of the scheme, which could take two to three years to roll out across the borough.
The aim is to ensure money spent in Kingston stays in the town, benefiting local businesses.
Connolly added: “We have a strong team and you can see we are taking this very seriously. We are not frightened to fail but we expect to win.”