Description:
Frontmatter -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- About the Authors -- Part I: Money and Society -- Chapter 1. A Great Human Invention: The Role of Money in Society -- Chapter 2. Why Some People Have So Much Money and Others Have So Little -- Part II: Central Banks and Global Finance -- Chapter 3. Fiat Currency and Credit: How Banks and Treasuries Create and Control Money -- Chapter 4. Global Finance: Markets, Movers, and Motives -- Part III: Money and Technology -- Chapter 5. Fintech: When Money Meets Technology -- Chapter 6. What’s New about Cryptocurrencies and What’s Not -- Part IV: Beyond Money -- Chapter 7. How Blockchains Could Change How Business Is Done -- Chapter 8. The Promises and Perils of a Cashless Realm -- Closing Thoughts -- Figure Notes -- Endnotes -- Index
How much do you really know about money? Everyone uses it, but few know how it really works. Most books about money focus on specific aspects. This book breaks through the usual silos to present money as a broad social technology that serves the current needs of society. It reviews the latest developments in financial technology including cryptocurrency, blockchain, and the prospect of a cashless future; and clears up many misconceptions in the process. Starting with a very brief history, the authors provide insights on how money is made; why money has value and what can change its value; how central banks, treasuries, foreign exchange, lending, and blockchain work; why you may be trading against robots; and privacy and security issues in an increasingly cashless society that will change our lives. While written for a broad audience, this book is also essential reading for students entering courses in the area of business finance, or money and banking