Chapter 1: The Financial Services Sector Flashcards
What does the financial services sector do?
Provides the link between organizations needing capital and those with capital available to invest.
What are the Top 5 Global Financial Centres?
- New York
- London
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- San Francisco
What are the 2 areas within the financial sector?
- Wholesale/Professional
- Retail
What financial activities make up the Wholesale/Professional area?
- Equity markets
- Bond markets
- Derivatives
- Foreign Exchange
- Insurance markets
What are Equity markets?
Financial market that facilitates the trading of shares in quoted or listed companies, e.g. Apple, Tesla, Netflix.
What are Bond markets?
Trading of government, supranational or corporate debt in order to raise capital. Compared to equity markets, bond markets are higher in size and value of trading, but lower in volume.
What is the Foreign Exchange market?
Facilitates the trading of currencies as well as the exchange rate. Largest of all markets; daily turnover of $6tn +. Traded OTC, and quote driven market.
What are Derivatives?
Trading of options, swaps, futures, and forwards.
What are Insurance Markets?
Major corporate insurance (inc professional indemnity), reinsurance, captive insurance and risk-sharing insurance.
What OTHER activities take place in the Wholesale/Professional area?
- Fund Management
- Investment Banking
- Custodian Banking
What is Fund Management?
Managing investment portfolios of collective investment schemes, pension funds and insurance funds.
What is Investment Banking?
Banking services tailored to organisations, e.g. undertaking M&A, equity trading, fixed-income trading and private equity.
What is Custodian Banking?
Provision of services to asset managers involving the safekeeping of assets; the administration of the underlying investments; settlement; corporate actions and other specialised activities.
What does the Retail area do?
Provides services to personal customers.
Which financial activities take place within the Retail area?
- Retail Banking
- Insurance
- Pensions
- Investment services
- Financial planning and advice
What is Retail Banking?
Provide traditional services to personal customers, e.g;
- Taking deposits (creating deposit accounts) from and lending funds to retail customers (giving loans and credit cards).
- Provide payment and money transmission services.
What is Insurance?
Provision of a range of life assurance and protection solutions for areas, e.g. medical insurance, critical illness cover, motor insurance, property insurance, income protection an mortgage protection.
What are Pensions?
Provision of investment accounts specifically designed to capture savings during someone’s working life and provide benefits on retirement.
What are Investment services?
Range of investment products and vehicles ranging from execution-only stockbroking to full wealth management services and private banking.
What is Financial planning and advice?
Helping individuals to understand and plan for their financial future.
What does OTC mean?
Over-the-counter means trading takes place between market participants, rather than through an exchange.
How are exchange rates determined?
Determined by supply and demand for a currency.
Which Insurance markets where the largest in 2020?
- USA
- China
- Japan
- UK
- Germany
- Taiwan
How have retail banks tended to operate historically?
By network of high street branches, but are closing due to increased move to online banking, e.g. Chase.
What other services do larger Retail Banks provide?
- Investments
- Pensions
- Insurance