Monetary economics is the branch of economics that studies the nature, role, and impact of money and monetary institutions. It provides a framework for analyzing money and its core functions—as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account—and examines how money can achieve widespread acceptance, including through its role as a public good.
Historically, monetary economics has both prefigured and remained closely integrated with the development of macroeconomics. The field investigates the functioning and regulation of different monetary systems, the design and role of financial institutions, and the international dimensions of monetary relations such as exchange rates and global liquidity.