The History of Money

Before money existed, people traded goods and services directly through barter.

在貨幣出現之前，人們透過以物易物的方式直接交易商品和服務。

This system was inefficient, because both sides had to want what the other offered.

這種方式效率不彰，因為雙方都必須想要對方提供的東西。

Over time, societies adopted shells, metals and other objects as a common medium of exchange.

隨著時間推移，各個社會開始採用貝殼、金屬和其他物品作為通用的交易媒介。

Coins made from precious metals eventually became widespread in many civilisations.

貴金屬鑄成的硬幣最終在許多文明中普及開來。

Paper money later offered a lighter and more convenient alternative.

後來，紙鈔提供了一種更輕便、更方便的替代方式。

Its value, however, depended entirely on trust in the institution that issued it.

然而，它的價值完全取決於人們對發行機構的信任。

Today, an increasing share of payments are made electronically.

如今，越來越多的支付是透過電子方式完成的。

Some economists predict that physical cash may one day disappear completely.

一些經濟學家預測，實體現金有朝一日可能會完全消失。

Whatever form it takes, money ultimately remains a shared belief in value.

無論採取何種形式，貨幣歸根究柢仍然是人們對價值的共同信念。