A cheque is a paper instrument that orders a payment of money from a bank account.  An account holder can write cheques to order payments of money. Cheques are provided when customers open an account in the bank.

Cheques are a type of bill of exchange and were developed as a way to make payments without the need to carry large amounts of money. While paper money evolved from promissory notes, another form of negotiable instrument, similar to cheques in that they were originally a written order to pay the given amount to whomever had it in their possession (the "bearer").