The Indian financial system consists of financial institutions, markets, instruments, and services that facilitate the flow of funds between savers and borrowers. It mobilizes savings and channels them into productive investments. The key components include commercial banks, insurance companies, stock and money markets. Financial institutions intermediate between surplus and deficit units, while markets allow trading of instruments like stocks, bonds, and currencies. Together they perform vital roles like maturity transformation and risk sharing. Over time, India's financial system has grown in strength, efficiency, and stability through measures like competition, consolidation, and regulation.

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INDIAN FINANCING SYSTEM
Introduction:
Economic growth and development of any country depends upon a well-knit financial system.
Financial system comprises, a set of sub-systems of financial institutions financial markets,
financial instruments and services which help in the formation of capital. Thus a financial system
provides a mechanism by which savings are transformed into investments and it can be said that
financial system play an significant role in economic growth of the country by mobilizing
surplus funds and utilizing them effectively for productive purpose.
The financial system is characterized by the presence of integrated, organized and regulated
financial markets, and institutions that meet the short term and long term financial needs of both
the household and corporate sector. Both financial markets and financial institutions play an
important role in the financial system by rendering various financial services to the community.
They operate in close combination with each other.
Financial System :
Flow of funds (savings)
Flow of financial services
Incomes, and financial claims
The word "system", in the term "financial system", implies a set of complex and closely
connected or interlined institutions, agents, practices, markets, transactions, claims, and liabilities
in the economy. The financial system is concerned about money, credit and finance-the three
terms are intimately related yet are somewhat different from each other. Indian financial system
consists of financial market, financial instruments and financial intermediation
Role of Financial System:
A financial system performs the following functions:
 It serves as a link between savers and investors. It helps in utilizing the mobilized savings
of scattered savers in more efficient and effective manner. It channelizes flow of saving
into productive investment.
 It assists in the selection of the projects to be financed and also reviews the performance
of such projects periodically.
 It provides payment mechanism for exchange of goods and services.
Suppliers of funds
(mainly
households)
Seekers of funds
(mainly business
firms and
government)

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 It provides a mechanism for the transfer of resources across geographic boundaries.
 It provides a mechanism for managing and controlling the risk involved in mobilizing
savings and allocating credit.
 It promotes the process of capital formation by bringing together the supply of saving and
the demand for investible funds.
 It helps in lowering the cost of transaction and increase returns. Reduce cost motives
people to save more.
 It provides you detailed information to the operators/ players in the market such as
individuals, business houses, Governments etc.
Components/ Constituents of Indian Financial system:
The following are the four main components of Indian Financial system
1. Financial institutions
2. Financial Markets
3. Financial Instruments/Assets/Securities
4. Financial Services.
Financial Institutions:
Financial institutions are the intermediaries who facilitates smooth functioning of the financial
system by making investors and borrowers meet. They mobilize savings of the surplus units and
allocate them in productive activities promising a better rate of return. Financial institutions also
provide services to entities seeking advises on various issues ranging from restructuring to
diversification plans. They provide whole range of services to the entities who want to raise
funds from the markets elsewhere. Financial institutions act as financial intermediaries because
they act as middlemen between savers and borrowers. Were these financial institutions may be of
Banking or Non-Banking institutions.
Financial Intermediaries :
A financial intermediary is an institution which connects the deficit and the surplus. The best
example of an intermediary can be a bank which transforms the bank deposits to bank loans.
The role of financial intermediary is to channel funds from people who have extra inflow of
money i.e., the savers to those who do not have enough money to fulfill the needs or to carry out
the basic activities i.e. the borrowers.
Functions of Financial Intermediaries
Functions of Financial Intermediary are basically classified in three parts which are as follows:
 Maturity transformation – Deals with the conversion of short-term liabilities to long
term assets.

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 Risk transformation – Conversion of risky investments into relatively risk-free ones.
 Convenience denomination – Way of making the unmatched matching which is
matching small deposits with large loans and large deposits with small loans.
The financial intermediaries of Indian financing system :
 Commercial bank
 Cooperative bank
 Regional rural bank
 Development banks
 Mutual fund companies
 Insurance companies
Financial Markets :
Financial Market is a mechanism that allows people to indulge themselves in the buying and
selling i.e. trade of financial securities (for example stocks and bonds), commodities (for
example precious metals) at prices that reflect the market’s effectiveness.
Following are the verticals of financial market :
1) Capital Market – Market where business enterprises or government entities raise fund for
long term using the weapon of securities or debts. It includes the Stock market (equities) and
Bond Market (debt) for fund raising.
2) Commodity Market – Commodity is a good for which there is a demand by the people thus
commodity market is the market where such goods are traded.
3) Money Market – Deals with the assets involved in short-term borrowing and lending with
original maturities ranging from a period of one year or even lesser time frames.
4) Derivative Market – The derivative market is the financial market meant for derivatives. The
financial instruments like the futures contracts or options, which are derived from other forms
of assets, are traded in these markets.
5) Insurance Market – Deals with the trading of insurance policies.
6) Futures Market – A vertical in financial market where people can trade standardized futures
contracts which is a contract to buy specific number of quantities of a commodity or financial
instrument at a specified price with the delivery of the commodity or financial instrument set at a
specified time in the future.

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7) Foreign Exchange Market – Also known as Forex is a global, worldwide decentralized
financial market meant only for the trading of currencies
Financial Instruments :
Financial Instrument is a trade-able asset which can be in terms of cash, agreement, evidence of
an ownership in an entity; or a contractual right which has the right to deliver cash or any kind of
asset.
The types of financial instrument used worldwide are in the form deposits, stock, and debt.
1) Deposits – Deposit in a layman’s term, means to save or to keep safely. Deposits can be
made either with banking or non-banking firm.
2) Stock – Stocks represents the ownership of the issuing company. It is a form of corporate
equity ownership where in the total stock of the company is divided into shares and the
individuals has the provision to trade the shares in the exchange.
3) Debts – Unlike the stocks, financial assets which are in the form of debts create an obligation
on the borrower of the fund to repay the amount borrowed. The debt instrument, thus in a
sense, is a contract entered into by the borrower and the lender which specifies the amount of
fund borrowed, period of borrow, the rate of interest that will be charged and the repayment
methods.
Financial Services:
As the name suggests financial services are the services provided by the Financial Institutions.
These services generally include the banking services, Foreign exchange services, investment
services, insurance services and few others.
Following is a very brief description of the services,
1) Banking Services – Includes all the operations provided by the banks including to the simple
deposit and withdrawal of money to the issue of loans, credit cards etc.
2) Foreign Exchange services – this includes the currency exchange, foreign exchange banking
or the wire transfer.
3) Investment Services – It generally includes the asset management, hedge fund management
and the custody services.

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4) Insurance Services – It deals with the selling of insurance policies, brokerages, insurance
underwriting or the reinsurance.
5) Some of the other services include the advisory services, venture capital, angel investment etc.
Conclusion: The Indian financial system has undergone structural transformation over the past
decade. The financial sector has acquired strength, efficiency and stability by the combined
effect of competition, regulatory measures, and policy environment. While competition,
consolidation and convergence have been recognized as the key drivers of the banking sector in
the coming years.
Reference:
1. Indian Financial System by M.Y.Khan.1980.
2. The Financial System of India by Gyan Chand.2000
3.http://www.agii.gr/repository/upload/Indian%20Capital%20markets%20and%20financial%20s
ystem.pdf
4. http://www.bizresearchpapers.com