Here's the question that often runs through people's minds: how much money is there in the world actually? The answer turns out to be much more complicated than it seems at first glance because it all depends on how we define the very concept of "money."

The fact is, money is not just paper bills and coins in your wallet. If we only count physical cash in circulation (the so-called M0), we're talking about roughly 40 trillion dollars. Sounds huge, but that's only the tip of the iceberg.

When we add demand deposits—those easily accessible accounts from which you can withdraw money at any time—we get about 80 trillion. This is the M1 level, and the picture becomes more interesting.

But wait, there's more. If we include savings deposits and other liquid financial assets (M2 and M3), the total amount of money in the world grows to 100–130 trillion dollars. Quite a different scale.

Now, the most interesting part. If we take all global financial assets—stocks, bonds, derivatives, and other instruments—the figure jumps to 400–500 trillion dollars. And if we add even more complex financial structures and derivatives, the nominal value could exceed quadrillions.

These numbers constantly fluctuate depending on market changes, central banks' monetary policies, and other factors. But here's what's fascinating: cryptocurrencies, which many consider to be something unreal and unserious, have already reached about one-third of the total amount of money in the world in its broadest sense. This is not just a number—it's an indicator of how quickly the financial landscape is changing.