Watch David in Action
About David McWilliams
David McWilliams is one of the few people who can make monetary history play like a thriller. He left the insular world of finance to bring economics to everyone else. "People want to understand economics, but they're a bit afraid of it," he explains. "My job is to give them the permission and the tools to see it differently."
David's Keynote Topics
To most people, economics feels like a foreign language – too technical, too detached, too… boring. But what if economics is actually the most important set of tools we have for decoding the world around us? In eye-opening, entertaining presentations, economist and bestselling author David McWilliams pulls back the curtain on how economics shapes the choices we make every day, from how we shop and save to how we vote, love and build community. With stories drawn from his top-ranked podcast and decades of global market experience, McWilliams shows how economics is fundamentally a story not about markets or models, but about people. Audiences leave this talk equipped with the ability to make sense of anything happening in the world and explain it to others through a new, clearer lens – what McWilliams calls “social ammunition.” Gifted with a flair for injecting humor into even the driest of charts and forecasts, McWilliams presents economics like you’ve never heard it before: accessible, actionable and unforgettable.
From Mesopotamian clay tablets to Bitcoin wallets, the history of money is the history of human civilization. In this electrifying presentation drawn from his international bestseller Money: A Story of Humanity, David McWilliams traces how money transformed us from tribal groups into complex societies, unlocking religion, rule of law, writing and everything we now associate with modern life. But unlike most economists, McWilliams doesn’t treat money as math, but as magic. As he explains in deeply researched and engaging sessions, money is collaborative, social, degenerate, sexy and profoundly misunderstood. With humor and storytelling prowess, McWilliams’ highly entertaining and provocative presentations make the sociology of money come alive to show leaders how financial systems shape geopolitics, identity and generational opportunity. More than a history lesson, audiences walk away with a fresh understanding on why the next phase of economic evolution – from crypto to climate pricing – demands that we understand money not only as currency, but as a culture.
Books by David McWilliams
Articles by David McWilliams
David McWilliams Articles for the Irish Times
FortuneThe Yellow Brick Road From ‘The Wizard of Oz’ Is a Gold Allegory With a Deeper Message That’s Been Overlooked for Years
November 2025Big ThinkHow the World’s First Business Bestseller Transformed the World
November 2025The Irish TimesAustralia's Housing Crisis Looks Very Like Ireland's, but It's Not the Same ($)
October 2025TIMETrump and Vance May Have Accidentally United Europe
April 2025David in the Media
The David McWilliams Podcast
What happens when trust in money breaks down? Economist David McWilliams explains why this matters
David McWilliams (On the History of Money)
Why is the US Fed chair criminal probe causing global alarm? | Inside Story
The 30 Best Books of 2025
Rock Star Economist Dishes on Crypto, Comedy and Complex Aussie Menus
‘The History of Money’ Review: What Made the World Go ’Round
As We Say Goodbye to the Penny, a Look Back at the History of Money
One of the World’s Most Popular Economists on Why AI Is ‘Undoubtedly Going to Crash’: It’s Built Off ‘Digital Lettuce’ – and the U.S. Will Be Just Fine Anyway
The 82 Books That Top Business Leaders Couldn’t Put Down
Money Makes the World Go ‘Round
Is the US an Emerging Market?
David’s speech was fantastic and very well received by the audience. Many thanks to you and your team for assisting us in organising this wonderful conference.
Bank Muskcat
David’s presentation was perfectly pitched and brought exactly what we had hoped…delivered with wit and intelligence in an engaging and entertaining style.
Invesco Perpetual
The Event was remarkably successful with over 600 attendees … David’s participation certainly enhanced the profile of our line-up of international speakers.
National Bank of Abu-Dhabi
Bring David to your next event
Tell us about your event and we will be in touch right away.
