Banking and Financial Industry Vocabulary

This core vocabulary reference sheet provides keywords and phrases in the banking and financial industries. This vocabulary can be used in English for specific purposes classes as a starting point for including vocabulary study relating to the banking and financial industries. Teachers are often not equipped with the exact English ​terminology required in very specific trade sectors. For this reason, core vocabulary sheets go a long way in helping teachers provide adequate materials for students with English for Specific Purposes needs. Students should also familiarize themselves with common banking abbreviations.

to accept a bill
account
account overdraft
actual yield
after-hours trading
at 30 days after sight
at 60 days after date
at a discount
at a premium - above par
at best
at closing
at par
at sight - on demand
backdate - to antedate
to bank - to deposit
bank
bank account
bank balance
bank branch
bank clearance
bank counter
bank credit
bank deposit
bank guarantee
bank lending rates
bank loan
bank merger
bank rate rise
bank sector
bank suretyship - bank guarantee
bank transfer
bank transfer order
banker's draft - bank draft
banking
banking secrecy
exchange-rate fluctuations
exchange controls
exchange rate
exercise an option
to expire
expiry date - due date
financial market
fixed exchange rate
fixed term sale
float due to collection
floating-rate loan
foreign bank
foreign currency
foreign exchange market
forward market - futures market
future transaction - forward transaction
futures - forward contracts
to grant a loan
to gross yield
to honour a bill
hostile takeover
in the red
interest
interest accrual
interest rate
investor
irrevocable
irrevocable letter of credit
issue price
issuing bank
issuing house
junk bond
legal interest
letter of credit
to loan banking system
banknote (GB) - bill (US)
to bear
bear market
bearer bill
bearer bond
bearer cheque
bearer share
bill for collection
blank cheque
blank endorsement
bond - debenture
bond certificate
bond holder - debenture holder
bond issue
bonus share - free share
borrowing rate
bounced cheque - uncovered cheque
bull market
to buy back
call option - call
to cash a cheque
cash against documents
cash market - spot market
cash overdraft
cashier - teller
to charge an account
cheque (GB) - check (US)
cheque book
collection
collection charges
commodity exchange
confirmed irrevocable credit
confirmed letter of credit
contract note
merchant bank
money laundering
money market
negotiable
negotiable bill
net yield
official discount rate
official Stock Exchange list
on deposit - on consignment
to open an account
ordinary share (GB) - common stock (US)
out-of-town cheque
to overdraw
parity - at par
payable at sight
payable to bearer
payment order
postdate
preference share (GB) - preferred stock (US)
premium deal
private bank
promissory note - note of hand
to protest a bill
to protest charges
rate
recipient - beneficiary
registered share
to renew the bill
repayment date - refund date
revocable
revocable credit
revocable letter of credit
right of veto safety deposit box
savings bank
convertibility
convertible
convertible bond
correspondent bank
crash on the Stock Exchange
credit
credit card
credit opening
crossed cheque
currency exposure
current account (GB) - checking account (US)
current account deposit
date of issue
debit balance
default interests - interests on arrears
deposit
deposit book
deposit certificate - deposit warrant
depositor
discount rate
dividend
dividend warrant
domiciled bill
Dow Jones index
draw a cheque
drawer's signature
drawer
end of month (EOM)
to endorse - to back
to endorse a cheque
endorsement
endorsement for collection
endorser
exchange
exchange broker - stockbroker
savings deposit
to sell forward
to settle a debt - to pay off a debt
settlement of a bill
share - stock
share certificate
share index
share issue
short-term bill
short-term debt
sight bill - bill on demand
speculative bubble
spot exchange
stock dividend
Stock Exchange
Stock Exchange capitalisation
Stock Exchange index
stock market
stock option
stockbroker - stockjobber
to stop a cheque
to stop an account
subject to collection
surcharge
suretyship - guarantee
take-over bid (TOB)
to take out a loan
town cheque
transferable
unacceptance
unpaid - unsettled
value at market price
voting share
to write out a cheque
yield