This volume examines the various forms and techniques of cashless payments and transactions known to the world since Ancient times. The different contributions to this volume focus primarily on the non-European areas, as well as those European examples that did not correspond to the mainstream technique provided by the Italian, or classical, bill of exchange developed since the Middle Ages. Room will be given to the following issues instead: What means of cashless payment existed in the cultures and societies beyond Europe? Which other, non-mainstream techniques of cashless transactions existed within Europe? Why did the "Italian" or "European" bill of exchange prove to be superior and more successful than any of the other known techniques? Case studies drawn from a wide range of areas demonstrate that most economies facing an acute or permanent shortage of coin found ways of utilizing or creating surrogate money. Across the world and through all times people knew techniques of settling outstanding balances using cashless payments in some form.