UPSC » UPSC CSE Study Materials » General Awareness » Innovative Financial Instruments

Innovative Financial Instruments

Participating in equity (risk capital) funds is one example of an innovative financial instrument. guarantees to local banks that lend money to a lot of end users, like small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

The term “innovative financial instruments” refers to a wide variety of activities, including participation in equity (risk capital) funds guarantees to local banks lending to a large number of final beneficiaries, for example small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) risk-sharing with financial institutions in order to promote investment in massive infrastructure projects (e.g. the Europe 2020 project bonds initiative or the connecting europe facility financial instruments).

The purpose of this endeavour is to stimulate the actual economy by broadening the availability of financial resources to companies and industries that produce goods and services. Giving grants or subsidies is just one method of spending money from the EU budget; another method is to do it through the use of innovative financial products.

The purpose of this endeavour is to stimulate the actual economy by broadening the availability of financial resources to companies and industries that produce goods and services. Giving grants or subsidies is just one method of spending money from the EU budget; another method is to do it through the use of innovative financial products.

Innovative financial instruments:

Financial instruments are assets that can be traded, but they can also be viewed as bundles of capital that can be traded. Either way, they fall under the category of tradable assets. The vast majority of different kinds of financial instruments make the circulation and transfer of capital throughout the world’s investors quick and effective. Cash, a contractual right to deliver or receive cash or another type of financial instrument, or evidence of ownership in an entity are all examples of the types of assets that fall under this category. The term “financial instrument” refers to either a physical or a digital document that represents a legally binding contract involving some form of monetary value. Equity-based financial instruments are those in which ownership of an asset is represented. Debt-based financial instruments are equivalent to a loan that an investor provides to the asset’s owner in order to acquire the asset. The third and most distinct category of financial instrument is made up of foreign exchange instruments. There are a variety of subcategories for each type of instrument, such as preferred share equity and common share equity.

Types of financial instruments: 

Cash instruments and derivative instruments are the two main categories that can be used to classify financial instruments.

Cash Instruments: 

The values of cash instruments are both directly influenced by the markets and used by the markets to determine their values. These can be easily transferable securities like stocks or bonds.

Other forms of cash instruments include deposits and loans that have been prearranged between borrowers and lenders.

Derivative Instruments: 

The underlying components of a derivative vehicle, such as assets, interest rates, or indices, serve as the basis for determining both the value and the characteristics of derivative instruments.

The value of an equity options contract, for instance, is derived from the stock that it is based on. This makes the equity options contract a derivative. The option provides the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the stock by a certain date and at a predetermined price. The value of the option fluctuates in tandem with the price of the underlying stock, though not always by the same percentage. However, this correlation does not always hold.

Over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives and exchange-traded derivatives are two different types of the same thing. OTC stands for over-the-counter and refers to a market or process that facilitates the pricing and trading of securities that are not listed on formal exchanges.

Participation in equity: 

The ownership of shares in a company or property is what is meant by the term “equity participation.” Equity participation can either involve the purchase of shares through the use of options or the granting of partial ownership in exchange for financial support. The stakeholder group’s ownership of a greater proportion of the total number of shares corresponds to a higher equity participation rate.

When a company or real estate investment allows stakeholders to own shares, it ties the success of the stakeholders to the success of the company or investment. In this scenario, stakeholders will realise greater gains if the company they invest in is more profitable.There are primarily two reasons why equity participation is utilised in numerous investments. To begin, it can be utilised to make the financial rewards of executives more closely tied to the success or failure of the company. This, in turn, increases the likelihood that executives will make decisions that will result in an increase in the profitability of the company.

This type of compensation may be paid out at a later date, which will reduce the likelihood of executives making hasty decisions in an effort to increase the share price. Employees, not just executives, can be given equity by companies as a form of incentive for working for the company and to encourage employee retention. This is typically in addition to the regular pay they receive, as well as any bonuses.

Investment crowdfunding: 

Crowdfunding for investments is starting to democratise the process of raising equity finance. New infrastructure and laws have made it possible for regular investors to put small amounts of money into projects they care about or have some connection to, when formerly this was the exclusive domain of institutional investors. Shares of the new company are issued to investors based on their contributions.

SeedInvest and FundersClub are two prominent equity crowdfunding websites. Additionally, micro-lending services like LendingClub and Prosper enable debt financing in a manner analogous to crowdsourcing. Instead of becoming shareholders, investors in this asset class take on the role of creditors, accruing interest on their loans until they are repaid. Also, businesses and individuals can purchase complete or partial loans through P2P lending platforms.

Conclusion: 

Financial instruments are assets that can be traded, but they can also be viewed as bundles of capital that can be traded. Either way, they fall under the category of tradable assets. The vast majority of different kinds of financial instruments make the circulation and transfer of capital throughout the world’s investors quick and effective.

faq

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to the most common queries related to the UPSC Examination Preparation.

What precisely are these equity instruments?

Answer. An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of an entity after all...Read full

What are the various kinds of financial instruments that are available?

Answer. Cash instruments, derivative financial instruments, and foreign exchange financial instruments are the typic...Read full

What exactly is meant by the term "innovative financial product"?

Answer. The process of developing new products, services, or processes in the areas of finance or investments is ref...Read full

What are the most current trends in the innovation of financial products?

Answer. The ongoing digital transformation, the emergence of FinTech companies, the growing role of Artificial Intel...Read full

What are the various kinds of new financial products and services?

Answer. Innovation can be broken down into these three categories: institutional, product, and process. Institutiona...Read full