A banknote (often known as a bill, paper money or simply a note) is a kind of negotiable instrument, a promissory note made by a bank payable to the bearer on demand, used as money. Traditional banknotes have largely been replaced with national banknotes issued by governments or central banks. National banknotes usually have legal tender status and are accepted at face value without discounting. National banknotes of Western countries have a history of backing in gold or silver and sometimes both; however, most of today's national banknotes have no backing in precious metals or commodities and have value only by fiat. With the exception of non-circulating high-value or precious metal issues, coins are used for lower valued monetary units, while banknotes are used for higher values.

A primitive version of the banknote was seen in the Han Dynasty in 118 BC, it was made of leather. However the first known banknote was first developed in China during the Tang and Song dynasties, starting in the 7th century. Its roots were in merchant receipts of deposit during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), as merchants and wholesalers desired to avoid the heavy bulk of copper coinage in large commercial transactions. During the Yuan Dynasty, banknotes were adopted by the Mongol Empire. In Europe, the concept of banknotes was first introduced during the 13th century, with proper banknotes appearing in the 17th century.