[branchless]

Agreed. Acceptance for tax payment is what imbues money with value.

[RobertoG]

I read your comments and I think you are missing only a few pieces of the puzzle.

I recommend you to investigate Modern Monetary Theory. It's what made me fill the holes in my understanding (the bigger holes, at least).

[branchless]

I'm familiar with MMT and my understanding is that sites like positive money push this perspective, that banks create money:

http://positivemoney.org/how-money-works/how-banks-create-mo...