Wholesale Finance

Definition ∞ Wholesale finance involves large-scale financial services and transactions conducted between institutions rather than individuals. This sector encompasses activities such as interbank lending, corporate debt issuance, large-volume securities trading, and institutional asset management. Participants typically include banks, investment firms, sovereign wealth funds, and major corporations. It facilitates the flow of capital essential for the functioning of global financial markets.
Context ∞ The application of blockchain technology to wholesale finance is a key area of innovation, particularly with the rise of tokenized assets and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Discussions focus on improving settlement efficiency, reducing counterparty risk, and lowering operational costs for institutional transactions. Regulatory bodies are actively assessing how existing frameworks apply to these novel digital wholesale financial instruments.