Full Form of NBFC - Meaning of Non-Banking Financial Companies

Full Form of NBFC – Non-Banking Financial Companies

The full form of NBFC is Non-Banking Financial Companies. NBFC refers to non-banking financial companies which are responsible for offering various services similar to that of the banking companies like providing of loans/advances to the businesses and others, hire-purchase, leasing, acquisition of various securities such as shares, debentures, bonds, stocks, etc., issued by the government authorities or local authorities or any other marketable securities of similar nature but these companies do not have banking license so they differ from banks in certain aspects.

Role

NBFC plays a significant role in the building of the nation and financial inclusion as it provides funds/Loans to those sections of the society who are unbanked especially small enterprises.
It is a major source of funding for new start-ups and entrepreneurs, especially where the government focuses on the promotion of entrepreneurship so that the job seekers can be replaced with the job creators.
They play a pivotal role in infrastructure development, generation of employment, development of transport, creation of wealth opportunities, providing financial support to the financially weak sections of the society, etc.

History

Officially Non-Banking Financial Companies are classified under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 2010 which is the financial reform legislation that was passed in the year 2010 in response to the financial crisis that occurred in 2008. As per the act, NBFC’s are the companies that are predominantly engaged in the financial activities in case their more than 85% consolidated assets or annual gross revenues are of financial nature. By this, a wide range of companies came into this category which offers services like that of the banks like Mortgage lending companies, Insurance companies, private equity funds, Investment banks, money market funds, hedge funds, peer-to-peer lenders, etc.

Objectives

The various objectives of Non-Banking Financial Companies are:

The NBFCs have the objective to create more job opportunities in the country by lending loans to private industries and SMEs thereby increasing business which raises the demand for manpower creating employment.
They also help in mobilization of funds by the rotation of resources, distribution of assets and income regulation thereby shaping economic development.
It is to strengthen the financial market as it provides funds to the small-sized enterprises which fulfill their liquidity requirements of NBFCs.

Types of NBFC

The two types of Non-Banking Financial Companies are:

Deposit Accepting: These are the NBFC’s which accept deposits from the public and it includes companies like loan companies, investment companies, asset finance companies, etc.
Non-deposit Accepting: These are the NBFC’s which do not accept deposits from the public and it is allowed only to lend the money to the public and take the repayment against such loans.

Functions of NBFC

The functions of Non-Banking Financial Companies are provided as follows:

Providing loans/advances to the businesses and other persons.
Acquisition of various different types of securities such as shares, debentures, bonds, stocks, etc., issued by the government authorities or local authorities or any other type of marketable securities.
Offering various other types of services to its customers apart from giving loans like currency exchange, underwriting, money market instruments, retirement planning, and merger activities, etc.

Examples of NBFC

There are various examples of Non-Banking Financial Companies in the present world. Fidelity Investments, a multinational financial service company based in Boston, Massachusetts is an example of the Non-Banking Financial Companies which is one of the largest asset managers among the world level companies. It provides fund distribution, retirement services, investment advice, cryptocurrency, insurance facilities, manages different mutual funds, and operates brokerage firm. All the other companies like Mortgage lenders, Insurance companies, private equity funds, Investment banks, money market funds, hedge funds, P2P lenders, etc are examples of the NBFC.

NBFC vs Banks

NBFC and banks differ from each other on various parameters and some of the differences are as follows:

Non-Banking Financial Companies cannot accept deposits payable on demand from the public, it can accept only deposits payable at the end of the tenure, whereas bank can accept all types of deposits from public both payable on demand and at the end of the tenure.
An NBFC cannot engage in payments by its customer to the third party on behalf of them, whereas banks can permit their customer to in payments by way of issuing checkbooks.
The deposits carried by NBFC don’t have the insurance whereas the deposits with banks carry insurance.

Advantages

NBFC can help in wealth management for stocks and shares.
They usually provide credit such as loans and credit facilities.
They also can issue Commercial papers, Certificates of Deposit, bankers agreements, etc.
NBFC can substitute the bank in case the banks are not helpful.

Disadvantages

Non-Banking Financial Companies are not allowed to take deposits that are payable in demand.
The restrictions around NBFC are more stringent when compared to the bank.
Only those NBFC which are registered under appropriate act and are authorized may allow accepting the deposits from the public.
The deposits which are received from the public are not insured, hence there is less security for the deposits when compared to the banks.
It is not allowed to make payments or do settlements for its customers.
It cannot issue the cheques that are drawn on it.

Conclusion

An NBFC can be regarded as a non-banking financial company that does not hold the banking license but works like a bank as it provides all of the services which are similar to the services provided by the banks. Although these companies do not have a banking license they are required to follow banking regulations.