Equity Financing and Debt Financing - Difference

From Indian Economy Mindmap Notes » Financial Market

This topic of “Equity Financing and Debt Financing – Difference” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination, which falls under General Studies Portion.

Equity Financing

Equity financing involves selling a portion of a company’s equity in return for capital. For example, the owner of Company ABC might need to raise capital to fund business expansion. The owner decides to give up 10% of ownership in the company and sell it to an investor in return for capital. That investor now owns 10% of the company and has a voice in all business decisions going forward.

The main advantage of equity financing is that there is no obligation to repay the money acquired through it. Of course, a company’s owners want it to be successful and provide the equity investors with a good return on their investment, but without required payments or interest charges, as is the case with debt financing.

Debt Financing

Debt financing involves the borrowing of money and paying it back with interest. The most common form of debt financing is a loan. Debt financing sometimes comes with restrictions on the company’s activities that may prevent it from taking advantage of opportunities outside the realm of its core business. Creditors look favorably upon a relatively low debt-to-equity ratio, which benefits the company if it needs to access additional debt financing in the future.

The advantages of debt financing are numerous. First, the lender has no control over your business. Once you pay the loan back, your relationship with the financier ends. Next, the interest you pay is tax-deductible. Finally, it is easy to forecast expenses because loan payments do not fluctuate.