Markets/en/Portal:Small Loans/Contracts-in-Action:Small Loans
Section 8 of the Small Loans portal, instantiated from the contracts in action model. All packages below are drafts, intended to be validated by lawyers before any operational use. Figures define ranges, not advice.
Contracts in action: small loans
Package 1: Family loan, talk-first
Intended users: siblings, cousins, parents and adult children. Validation status: draft.
- Fixed parameters: no interest (clause S3) · talk-first clause (S7) · recovery ladder with mediation before anything else (S8, S9) · privacy of all reminders.
- Variables:
| Variable | Allowed values | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | CHF 50 to 1'000, steps of 50 | CHF 300 |
| Duration | 1 to 12 months | 6 months |
| Installments | 1 to 12, monthly | monthly, equal |
| Support group | none · 3 to 5 named persons | none |
| Thank-you gesture | none · meal · symbolic service | none |
Why these locks: inside a family, interest and improvised escalation are the two known relationship-killers; the package removes both from the menu.
Package 2: Neighbour loan with pledge
Intended users: neighbours and acquaintances who trust each other some, but not blindly. Validation status: draft.
- Fixed parameters: pledge clause with condition and value recorded at handover (S6, Annex 3) · receipt confirmation at handover (S1) · release of the pledge automatic at full repayment.
- Variables:
| Variable | Allowed values | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | CHF 50 to 500, steps of 25 | CHF 150 |
| Duration | 2 weeks to 6 months | 2 months |
| Pledge type | object held by lender · object reserved · service commitment | object reserved |
| Pledge description | free text plus agreed value, capped at 2x the amount | required |
Why these locks: between neighbours the pledge replaces intimacy; recording its condition and value at handover prevents the second dispute ("that bike was worth more") from ever starting.
Package 3: Support group loan, microcredit style
Intended users: friend circles, associations, diaspora and village networks; larger amounts carried by collective trust. Validation status: draft.
- Fixed parameters: mutual support group of 3 to 5 named members, each acknowledging Annex 2 (S4) · group intervention only after day [15] of the ladder, always private · no guarantor and no pledge (the group is the mechanism).
- Variables:
| Variable | Allowed values | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | CHF 200 to 2'000, steps of 100 | CHF 500 |
| Duration | 3 to 18 months | 10 months |
| Group size | 3 · 4 · 5 | 5 |
| Group role | remind only · remind and mediate | remind and mediate |
Why these locks: the package borrows what makes microcredit groups work: the borrower answers to a chosen circle, and no single person carries the awkwardness of reminding.
What no package allows
- Interest of any kind: a loan needing interest belongs in another market.
- Public shaming steps, whatever the delay.
- Guarantees or pledges above the caps stated in each package: beyond them, use the full contract model with individual legal advice.
See also
- Legal references: the points already flagged for lawyer review
- Back to the Small Loans portal