I, too, think there is something in what DwainBowman and jwstudy said.
The WTS ditched the sale of literature and went to the donation arrangement for tax reasons. Although the tax issue was a problem in the U.S., it had global ramifications and over time the same donation arrangement was introduced worldwide.
It wouldn't surprise me if some new rules came in or else some governmental/legal body has found out that the WTS has been acting as a lending institution without being officially recognized and regulated, and they have been told to either desist or apply through the proper channels to be a bona fide lending agent (which may be more trouble than it's worth to the WTS). As this new arrangement is being implemented in other places outside the U.S., and it looks like other countries have similar rules, this may well be the real reason for the WTS overhauling its financial business.
