When most people think about financial services, they think of Wall Street and stock exchanges. But the industry is much broader than that. It includes everything from credit card transactions to lending and investing. And it is essential for the health of economies around the world.
The financial sector is what keeps Main Street running every day. It advances loans to businesses, grants mortgages to homeowners, and helps people save for retirement. It also invests in new companies and assets. And it provides a key indicator of economic health: a strong financial sector typically means a healthy economy.
Most financial services companies are banks, which hold and manage customer deposits and lend money to borrowers. But there are also investment firms, such as mutual and hedge funds, private equity, and real estate investors. Other major players are payment providers, such as Visa and MasterCard, as well as debt-resolution companies and international exchanges that facilitate stock, derivative, and commodity trades.
One of the most important things that financial services do is to help distribute capital across the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors of the economy. This ensures that all companies have access to the funds they need to grow and expand, which will ultimately lead to more jobs and a better economy. Financial services also enable governments to raise short- and long-term funds through the bond market to meet revenue and capital spending needs. This is done by selling government securities or by offering foreign currency in the forex market.