What is finance?

Finance is defined as the management of money and is considered the foundation of the core activities of any business.

Finance encompasses many activities for your business, such as keeping money in a high-interest savings account, creating budgets and financial models, investing, borrowing, lending, budgeting, saving and forecasting. The purpose of these pursuits is to allow companies and individuals to finance certain activities or projects today and to be repaid in the future based on the revenue streams from these activities. Without finance, people would not be able to afford to buy houses and companies would not be able to grow and expand as they do today. Finance therefore enables capital resources to be allocated more efficiently. There are three main types of finance: Personal Finance, Public Finance and Corporate or Business Finance.

Personal Finance

Personal finance involves money matters for individuals and their families, including budgeting, strategising, saving and investing, purchasing financial products and protecting assets. Banking is also considered a component of personal finance. Personal finance is always tailored to one's specific needs in the short, medium or long term. This means that two people cannot have the same financial plan due to their different goals, earning potential, income and timeframes.

Public Finance

Like individuals, governments need to allocate resources to different sectors of the economy. Public finance is how central and local agencies track revenues and manage expenditure for all the services they provide to the public. By overseeing the generation and distribution of revenue, government agencies ensure a stable economy and prevent market failure. Other aspects of public finance include tax administration, debt issuance, budgeting, international trade and inflation regulation. These factors have a direct and lasting impact on business and personal finance.

Corporate or Business Finance

Corporate finance covers all financial activities related to the running of a business. You can think of it in terms of acquisitions and investments, financing, capital budgeting, risk management and tax management required for business growth in the financial markets. Corporate finance refers to the financial activities involved in managing a company or business, usually with a division or department established to oversee these financial activities.

Why is finance important for your business?

• It drives strategic financial decision-making for small businesses.
• Companies rely on finance to allocate resources and manage cash flow.
• It enables businesses to define long-term goals that will enable them to grow and scale.
• Finance helps businesses understand the time value of money.

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