Financial Services


Financial services are the economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of organizations that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit card companies, insurance companies, accountancy companies, consumer finance companies, stock brokerages, investment funds and some government sponsored enterprises.

The financial services industry includes firms that are engaged in activities such as investing, lending, insurance, securities trading and securities issuance. This is not an exhaustive list, but these companies can be characterized as being in one or more of the following lines of business:

  1. Banking
  2. Insurance
  3. Securities Brokerage (or Financial Advisory Services)
  4. Investment Banking
  5. Securities Trading
  6. Investment Management (or Money Management)
  7. Securities Analysis
  8. Financial Planning
  9. Wall Street