Fiat Currency

In economics, fiat currency or fiat money is money backed by an authority, usually a government, for use in exchange of goods and services or to pay a debt, e.g tax. Unlike representative money, fiat money is not convertible to specie.
Fiat money is a form of money backed by the good credit of the issuing authority, which could be a government, bank, or other organization. The value of the money is based primarily on the faith that the money will remain relatively stable in value, continue to be accepted as a means of exchange, and will be accepted by creditors. Of particular relevance is its acceptability as payment of debts to the government, such as taxes. The term “fiat” money is also often used to distinguish it from representative money, which is pegged or fixed to a quantity or mass of precious metal. While representative money is often associated with a legal requirement that the bank of issue pay in fixed weights of a given precious metal or (in theory) fixed amount of any other precious good, fiat money generally has no inherent value. Instead, it derives its value as a medium for exchange when traded for goods or services or to pay debts.