What most of us think of as money (Dollars, Pounds, Euros and Yen) isn't really money at all. To be money something has to have an intrinsic value. Dollars, Pounds, Euros and Yen are, in fact, examples of Fiat currencies. Good examples of money are gold and silver. The currencies that we use as money are loaned into existence by banks as debt. Banks keep very little money themselves and instead keep small reserves because they know that not everybody who deposits money with them for safe keeping will want their money back at the same time. Only about 3% of a country's currency is physical bank notes and coins. the rest is contained in digital form on computers.