Finance has its own vocabulary. Here are the terms that come up most often, defined without jargon. If you meet a word we have not covered, ask your adviser — translating is part of the job.
A–E
Amortisation — the gradual repayment of a loan through scheduled instalments of principal and interest.
Bridging loan — short-term secured finance used to "bridge" a gap until a longer-term facility or sale completes.
Covenant — a condition in a loan agreement the borrower must keep to (e.g. a minimum income ratio).
Debt service — the cash required to cover interest and principal over a period.
Equity — the borrower's own stake in an asset, as opposed to borrowed money.
F–M
Facility — the formal name for a loan or line of credit a lender makes available.
Gearing / Leverage — the ratio of borrowed money to equity in a deal.
Ijara — an Islamic lease-based financing structure.
LTV (Loan-to-Value) — the loan amount as a percentage of the asset's value.
Mezzanine — debt that ranks behind senior lenders but ahead of equity, priced accordingly.
Murabaha — an Islamic cost-plus financing structure.
N–Z
NAV facility — a fund-level loan secured against the net asset value of a portfolio.
Refinance — replacing an existing loan with a new one, usually on better terms.
Senior debt — the first-ranking loan in a capital stack, repaid before other lenders.
Syndication — spreading a large loan across several lenders.
Underwriting — the lender's assessment of risk before agreeing to lend.
Working capital — finance for day-to-day operations rather than long-term assets.
Still translating?
Our advisers explain every term as it comes up. That is part of the service.