What is Money? (#1 of a 3-part journey)
Details
We use money every day. We earn it, spend it, save it, borrow it and transfer it. But have we ever stopped to ask:
What is money and why does it exist?
For this edition of First Principles of Fintech, we are going back to the beginning.
No apps.
No APIs.
No cards.
No UPI.
No banks.
We will start with a world where none of these things exist and try to reconstruct the financial system from scratch.
Let's go back to the beginning and invent money.
The idea is simple: instead of trying to understand today's financial system through all the complex jargon it throws at you, we start with human needs and reason forward from first principles.
This is the first of a 3-part journey exploring some of the most fundamental ideas in finance:
#1 — What is Money?
Where did the need for money come from, and what problem does it actually solve?
#2 — What is a Bank?
Once money exists, why do we need someone to hold it?
#3 — What is Credit?
Once banks exist, what actually happens when they lend money? Where does that money come from?
Each month, we'll take one step back from today's financial system and reason forward.
What to expect
This isn't a conventional finance talk. We'll use thought experiments, real-world scenarios, discussions and, where appropriate, a little bit of role play to reconstruct the system from scratch.
The goal isn't just to understand money. It's to develop a habit of thinking and reasoning from first principles
If you work in fintech, product, engineering, design, operations, or financial services — or you're simply curious about how the financial system came to be — come join us.
No finance knowledge required. Just bring your curiosity.
Agenda
- Reasoning about What is Money – Satish (60 mins)
- Networking & Conversations (30 mins)
Speaker
Satish has worn multiple hats over the last decade—as a programmer and a product manager—building a range of fintech products. He enjoys breaking down complex systems into simple, foundational ideas across tech and finance. Currently, he’s building a fintech infrastructure company: https://cybrilla.com