A loan is a type of debt. Like all debt instruments,
a loan entails the redistribution of financial assets over
time, between the lender and the borrower.
In a loan, the borrower initially receives or
borrows an amount of money, called the principal,
from the lender, and is obligated to pay back or repay
an equal amount of money to the lender at a later time.
Typically, the money is paid back in regular
installments, or partial repayments; in an annuity, each
installment is the same amount.
The loan is generally provided at a cost,
referred to as interest on the debt, which provides an
incentive for the lender to engage in the loan. In a
legal loan, each of these obligations and restrictions is
enforced by contract, which can also place the borrower
under additional restrictions known as loan covenants.
Although this article focuses on monetary loans, in
practice any material object might be lent.
Acting as a provider of loans is one of the p ' cipal
tasks for financial institutions. For other in tutions,
issuing of debt contracts such as bonds ' a typical
source of funding.