Money – like gravity and Candy Crush – is one of the few things that directly and materially affects us at almost every moment of our lives.

It’s strange then to think just how little we actually understand about how money works, where it comes from and where it’s going.

This rather stunning infographic from Envisioning looks to address that, offering a surprisingly lucid account of the origins of exchange, from the direct barter system to the arrival of real-time global trading and beyond, all the way through to a speculative future where peer-to-peer economies and collaborative consumption rules.  

Enjoy.

Click here for the big version.