Financial services are a massive industry that includes a range of subsectors like: banking, investments, credit card transactions, loans, etc. It is a key driver of the economy and helps facilitate things like saving, investing, borrowing, and spending money. A strong financial services sector can help businesses of all sizes thrive.
Banks, for example, are a critical part of the financial services industry because they collect deposits from people and lend out funds to those who need money for various reasons. Generally, banks keep 10% of the money deposited on hand as required by law, but the remaining 90% is available for loans to individuals.
Other companies in this area include investment banks, which make investments on behalf of their clients, and insurance agencies that sell insurance policies to customers. Other parts of the industry include debt resolution companies, global payment providers (like Visa and MasterCard) and credit card machine services and networks. Finally, the industry also contains a number of specialized subsectors like private banking, which caters to high-net-worth individuals.
The wide variety of roles in this space can make it challenging to determine which career path is right for you, but there are some clear advantages that make a career in financial services worthwhile. In general, job security is good and entry-level positions typically offer extensive training and mentoring, and are likely to lead to a promotion fairly quickly. Additionally, the pay is usually better than many other industries, and can be quite lucrative for those who work hard at it.