The Financial System
The Financial System
The Financial System
Financial Intermediaries
The term financial intermediaries includes all kinds of organizations which intermediate and facilitate financial transactions of both individuals and corporate customers. Thus, it refers to all kinds of FIs and investing institutions which facilitate financial transactions in financial markets. They may be in the organized sector or in the unorganized sector. They may also be classified in to two : i. Capital Market Intermediaries ii. Money Market Intermediaries.
Financial Concepts
An understanding of the financial system requires an understanding of the following concepts : 1. Financial Assets 2. Financial Intermediaries 3. Financial markets
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Capital Market Intermediaries These intermediaries mainly provide long term funds to individuals and corporate customers. They consist of term lending institutions like financial corporations and investment institutions like LIC. Money Market Intermediaries Money market intermediaries supply only short term funds to individuals and corporate customers. They consist of commercial banks, cooperative bank.
Primary Market : Primary market is a market for new issues or new financial claims. Hence it is also called New Issue Market. The primary market deals with those securities which are issued to the public for the first time. In the primary market, borrowers exchange new financial securities for long-term funds. Thus, primary market facilitates capital formation. There are three ways by which a company may raise capital in a primary market. They are (i) Public issue (ii) Right issue and (iii) Private placement. The most common method of raising capital by new companies is through sale of securities to the public. It is called public issue. When an existing company wants to raise additional capital, securities are first offered to the existing shareholders on a pre-emptive basis. It is called rights issue. Private placement is a way of selling securities privately to a small group of investors. Secondary Market : Is a market for secondary sale of securities. In other words, securities which have already passed through the new issue market. Generally, such securities are quoted in the stock exchange and it provides a continuous and regular market for buying and selling of securities. This market consists of all stock exchanges recognized by the Government.
2 Government Securities Market
Financial Markets
Generally speaking, there is no specific place or location to indicate a financial market. Wherever a financial transaction takes place it is deemed to have taken place in the financial market. Hence financial markets are pervasive in nature since financial transactions are themselves very pervasive throughout the economic system. However, financial markets can be referred to as those centers and arrangements which facilitate buying and selling of financial assets, claims and services. Sometimes, we do find the existence of a specific place or location for a financial market as in the case of stock exchange.
It is otherwise called Gilt-Edged securities market. It is a market where government securities are traded. In India there are many kinds of Government securities short term and long term. Long-term securities are traded in this market while short term securities are traded in money market. The secondary market for these securities is very narrow since most of the institutional investors tend to retain these securities until maturity.
3 Long-term Loans Market
Development banks and commercial banks play a significant role in this market by supplying long term loans to corporate customers. Long term loans market may further be classified into (i) Term loans, (ii) Mortgages and (iii) Financial Guarantees markets.
As the very name implies, it is a market for industrial securities, namely : (i) equity shares (ii) Preference shares and (iii) Debentures or bonds. It is a market where industrial concerns raise their capital or debt by issuing appropriate instruments. It can be further subdivided into two. They are a. Primary market or New Issue Market, b. Secondary market or Stock Exchange.
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