Differences between Debt and Equity Capital (2024)

What is Debt Capital?

Debt Capital is the money that a company raises through borrowing from individuals or institutions, and they must repay the entire amount after a specific time interval. They are a cheaper and low-risk alternative for getting finances when compared to equity capital.

Debt Capital is either secured or unsecured. Secured Debt is a loan that the company takes by pledging its assets. It allows the lender to sell that asset and recover its money if it does not repay within a fixed duration. Unsecured Debt is a borrowing made by the company without pledging any assets as security.

There are three kinds of Debt Capital – Term Loans, Debentures and Bonds. Here is a brief description of the three terms:

  • Term Loans – Banks provide Term Loans to companies at a fixed/floating interest rate (according to the loan agreement). These secured loans have a fixed repayment schedule.
  • Debentures – Debenture is a debt instrument issued by a company to the general public. They can be secured or unsecured, and the principal amount is repayable after a fixed time interval.
  • Bonds – A bond is a fixed income instrument issued by the government or a company to the general public. They have a fixed date of maturity post which the issuer pays back the principal amount to the investor along with interest.

What is Equity Capital?

Equity Capital is the total amount of funds invested by the owners in their business. The equity of a company gets divided into several units, and each unit is called a share. The owners can sell some of these shares to the general public to raise funds. The shares are of two types – Equity shares and Preference shares. Here is a brief description of the two terms:

  • Equity Shares – These are ordinary shares of a company that the owners sell in the open market. Investors purchase these shares and become stakeholders in the organisation with ownership rights. They hold voting rights to select the company’s management. They get a percentage of the company’s profits, but only after preference shareholders get their dividend.
  • Preference Shares – Preference shares allow shareholders to receive dividends before equity shareholders. They are entitled to a fixed rate of compensation whenever the company declares a dividend. They also have the right to claim repayment of capital if the company dissolves.

Differences between Debt and Equity Capital

The main differences between Debt and Equity Capital are as follows:

Debt Capital Equity Capital
Definition
Debt Capital is the borrowing of funds from individuals and organisations for a fixed tenure.Equity capital is the funds raised by the company in exchange for ownership rights for the investors.
Role
Debt Capital is a liability for the company that they have to pay back within a fixed tenure.Equity Capital is an asset for the company that they show in the books as the entity’s funds.
Duration
Debt Capital is a short term loan for the organisation.Equity Capital is a relatively longer-term fund for the company.
Status of the Lender
A debt financier is a creditor for the organisation.A shareholder is the owner of the company.
Types
Debt Capital is of three types:
  • Term Loans
  • Debentures
  • Bonds
Equity Capital is of two types:
  • Equity Shares
  • Preference Shares
Risk of the Investor
Debt Capital is a low-risk investmentEquity Capital is a high-risk investment
Payoff
The lender of Debt Capital gets interest income along with the principal amount.Shareholders get dividends/profits on their shares.
Security
Debt Capital is either secured (against the surety of an asset) or unsecured.Equity Capital is unsecured since the shareholders get ownership rights.

Conclusion

Companies need financing regularly to run their operations successfully. There are several differences between Debt and Equity Capital, but companies need both these instruments to raise funds.

Also See:

Differences between Debt and Equity Capital (2024)

FAQs

Differences between Debt and Equity Capital? ›

Equity capital is the funds raised by the company in exchange for ownership rights for the investors. Debt Capital

Debt Capital
Debt capital is the capital that a business raises by taking out a loan. It is a loan made to a company, typically as growth capital, and is normally repaid at some future date.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Debt_capital
is a liability for the company that they have to pay back within a fixed tenure.

What are the three main differences between debt and equity? ›

The difference between Debt and Equity are as follows:

Debt is a type of source of finance issued with a fixed interest rate and a fixed tenure. Equity is a type of source of finance issued against ownership of the company and share in profits. Debt capital is issued for a period ranging from 1 to 10 years.

What is the difference between debt and equity capital markets? ›

The debt and equity markets serve different purposes. First, debt market instruments (like bonds) are loans, while equity market instruments (like stocks) are ownership in a company. Second, in returns, debt instruments pay interest to investors, while equities provide dividends or capital gains.

Which of the following is a difference between debt and equity capital? ›

Debt capital requires a fixed rate of return, whereas equity capital requires returns in proportion to profits.

What is the difference between debt and equity in capital structure? ›

Capital structure is the specific mix of debt and equity that a company uses to finance its operations and growth. Debt consists of borrowed money that must be repaid, often with interest, while equity represents ownership stakes in the company.

What are two differences between debt and equity? ›

Debt and equity finance

Debt and equity are the two main types of finance available to businesses. Debt finance is money provided by an external lender, such as a bank. Equity finance provides funding in exchange for part ownership of your business, such as selling shares to investors.

What is the difference between equity and capital? ›

Capital refers to the total amount of money invested in a company by its owners, shareholders or investors. On the other hand, equity pertains to the ownership interest of an individual or group in a business entity. It represents the value of assets minus liabilities that is attributable to the owners or shareholders.

What is the difference between equity capital and debt capital quizlet? ›

Debt financing raises funds by borrowing. Equity financing raises funds from within the firm through investment of retained earnings, sale of stock to investors, or sale of part ownership to venture capitalists.

Is debt capital better than equity capital? ›

Generally, the cost of equity is higher than that of debt because investors take on more risk by investing in equity. Market changes. Equity capital exposes the company to market fluctuations. This can lead to volatility in the company's capital structure and impact its ability to raise further capital.

What is an example of debt capital? ›

Debt capital refers to borrowed funds that must be repaid at a later date, usually with interest. Common types of debt capital are: bank loans. personal loans.

What is an example of equity capital? ›

Equity capital refers to the funds raised by a company that may issue shares to shareholders. Examples include common shares, preferred shares, and stock warrants.

What is meant by equity capital? ›

Equity Capital refers to the capital collected by a company from its owners and other shareholders in exchange for a portion of ownership in the company. The company is not liable to repay the fund raised through equity financing.

What is the main difference between debt and equity financing quizlet? ›

What's the difference between debt financing and equity financing? Debt financing raises funds by borrowing. Equity financing raises funds from within the firm through investment of retained earnings, sale of stock to investors, or sale of part ownership to venture capitalists.

What are the basic characteristics between debt and equities? ›

Difference Between Debt and Equity
PointsDebtEquity
RepaymentFixed periodic repaymentsNo obligation to repay
RiskLender bears lower riskInvestors bear higher risk
ControlBorrower retains controlShareholders have voting rights
Claims on AssetsSecured or unsecured claims on assetsResidual claims on assets
6 more rows
Jun 16, 2023

Is it better to have more debt or equity? ›

Since Debt is almost always cheaper than Equity, Debt is almost always the answer. Debt is cheaper than Equity because interest paid on Debt is tax-deductible, and lenders' expected returns are lower than those of equity investors (shareholders). The risk and potential returns of Debt are both lower.

What happens when debt is more than equity? ›

2. If the debt-to-equity ratio is too high, there will be a sudden increase in the borrowing cost and the cost of equity. Also, the company's weighted average cost of capital WACC will get too high, driving down its share price.

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