Each country has their own distinctive currency with a name given to it. Different names came to be given to the currencies such as Dinar, Lira, Franc, Mark, Krone, Pound, Peso, Ruble, Rial and Rupee. Some countries had the same name for their currencies as, for instance, the United States, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia and Zimbabwe. In recent times, the European Union adopted a common currency for their member countries, namely Euro. International trade required that the trading partners had to exchange goods and services with their respective currencies. This required that the exchange rate between these two currencies be fixed which was mostly done by the central banks and national governments. Both the national governments and central banks were also selling and purchasing currencies to facilitate trade.
When exports increases, the demand for the currency of the exporting country increases. The value of its currency appreciated. Currency has a floating rate with the demand and supply determining the exchange rate of the currency. With increasing trade and trade in currency, a currency market emerged. Currency itself soon began to be extensively traded as a commodity. Speculators such as money managers and currency traders moved in and trading in currencies by speculators increased. It did not take much time for speculative money trading becoming the major activity in the currency or forex market. Speculation in currencies soon began to exert a major role in determining the value of the currency and its exchange rate.
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By mid 13h century China introduced paper money making it the first country to do so. It was Sweden that first introduced paper money in Europe as early as in 1661. Sweden had a copper based coin system which turned out to be rather too cumbersome when goods of high value had to be traded. It was not manageable when the transactions were bigger. Paper currency was light in weight and rather easily carried around. Initially the government backed the paper currency as it did not have intrinsic value as did coins, by backing the paper money with gold standard. This remained so till about 1990. But soon enough currencies were de-linked from the gold standard. With this, currency soon adopted the floating rate with the market determining its value.