BIS economist proposes compliance method

Other money supply categories include M1, M2, and M3. In essence, each category is successively less liquid than the next with M1 representing the physical money supply, therefore being the most liquid and useful for cash transactions. By dividing M0 by M2, economists can determine the ratio of people in a national economy who rely on cash for payments. China's M0/M2 ratio is the third lowest, behind only the UK and Hong Kong, at 3.79 percent. By contrast, the U.S.'s is 21.92 percent, one of the highest in the world, indicating its citizens rely on cash 5.8 times more than the Chinese.