Investment banking is the provision of advisory-based financial services to corporations, governments, and other institutions such as public-private partnerships. In contrast to commercial banks that take deposits and lend money directly to consumers and businesses, an investment bank takes no deposits itself and instead acts as an intermediary between investors and their clients.
Important services provided by investment banks include underwriting of debt and equity securities for companies raising capital, the facilitation of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) or corporate reorganizations, and project finance for infrastructure investments. These corporate finance activities, often worth millions or even billions of dollars, rely on the specialized expertise of investment banks to conduct funding requirement analysis, evaluate different financing strategies, assist with valuation and pricing of assets, and provide guidance on other critical questions.