The World on Credit

The World on Credit is a powerful, narrative-driven exploration of the modern financial system—how it evolved, what went wrong, and what still threatens to go wrong again. Blending history, economics, geopolitics, and storytelling, the book examines how credit—one of humanity's most potent inventions—has shaped entire civilizations, brought about economic miracles, and triggered catastrophic collapses.
The book traces the arc from early financial innovations and global banking empires to the subprime mortgage crisis, emerging markets booms, and the post-COVID world of digital finance, inflation, and debt-fuelled growth. Along the way, it examines the people, policies, and psychology that underpin the global economy—and challenges the myth that markets are self-correcting.
In the age of crypto, central bank tightening, AI-driven trading, and global inequality, this book provides an accessible, witty, and incisive look into the deeper mechanics of our economic lives.