Artificial money = artificial liquidty = credit.
The bank at the top of the pyramid owns the money, the liquidity and lines of credit.
The bank directly under neat will open a line of credit (sacrificing liquidity) to make more money.
The bank under neath them does the same process, and for the same under them.
This trickles all the way down to the money your boss pays you on friday.
None of the money you own is any more real than monopoly money.