EDUCBA

EDUCBA

MENUMENU
  • Free Tutorials
  • Certification Courses
  • 250+ Courses All in One Bundle
  • Login

Debt vs Equity Financing

By Madhuri ThakurMadhuri Thakur

Home » Finance » Blog » Accounting Fundamentals » Debt vs Equity Financing

Debt-Financing-vs-Equity-Financing

Difference Between Debt vs Equity Financing

The following article, Debt vs Equity financing, provides an outline for the topmost differences between Debt and Equity Financing. Every business requires capital to start their business, but more importantly, it might require some extra capital to expand their business or implement new ideas. Hence, there are two ways to fulfill the need for capital, taking a loan (debt financing) or equity financing (looking for an investor). Debt will attract interest expenses that need to be paid by the company, and with equity, the cost will be claimed on earnings to the extent of ownership of the shareholders. Some types of companies go for debt financing as per their business activities, requirement, and industry type, and some choose equity financing.

What is Debt financing?

In simple word, debt financing means when a borrower borrows money from a lender, and in return, lenders charge interest on the debt, where an entity issues a debt instrument to the financer to raise money. (For example, Company ABC Ltd needs $200,000 of financing to extend the business; hence they issue bonds to take out a $200,000 bank loan at 10.75% per annum). There are various advantages of debt financing like lender won’t have any interference in the business activity, Interest expenses will be charged under income statement as it is tax-deductible. With any advantages, it also has some disadvantages as your business does not perform well and failing in its ideas, but debt is a liability, and the company is bound to pay debt and interest charges in any situation.

Start Your Free Investment Banking Course

Download Corporate Valuation, Investment Banking, Accounting, CFA Calculator & others

What is Equity financing?

Equity financing is a convenient source of financing, where the company raises capital by issuing equity shares to the investors. The main benefit of equity financing is there is no such obligation to repay the amount to an investor or any kind of scheduled payments like interest in case of debt. When the company earns good profits, it grows, and it leads to an increase in the price of shares. This directly benefits the equity shareholders; equity shareholders also sell the share to other party and can convert it into cash. Any family and friends or any venture capitalist can invest in your business idea. Equity shareholders enjoy voting rights, which is very important to participate in the business activity; voting power will be to the extent of shares held by the shareholders. Equity financing is important in specific industries and businesses like tech startups. (For example, Company ABC Ltd needs $200,000 of financing to extend the business; hence they issue 20000 equity shares of $10 each to raise $200,000 to an investor Mr Y who wants to invest in the business.)

Head to Head comparison between Debt vs Equity Financing (Infographics)

Below are the top 8 differences between Debt and Equity financing

Debt-Financing-vs-Equity-Financing-info

Key differences between Debt vs Equity Financing

Let us discuss some of the major key differences between Debt and Equity financing.

  • Debt means where you raise the capital from the lender by issuing some kind of debt instruments at a fixed rate of interest, whereas equity financing is a source where the company raises the capital by selling equity shares to the investors.
  • Debt is a cheap source of financing as compared to equity financing. Debt expenses charge as expenses; hence it helps in tax savings. Whereas there is no such case in equity financing as it is a convenient source of financing.
  • In case of the dissolution of the company, creditors will get their amount first, and equity shareholders will be the last to get the amount.
  • Equity shareholders have ownership of the company to the extent of shares held. Creditors don’t have any kind of ownership of the entity.
  • Creditors get interest expenses, which are fixed or pre-defined, whereas in the case of equity financing company pays a dividend to the investors as to when declared by the company.
  • Equity shareholders have voting rights; hence they can cast their vote for business activity done by the company. In case of debt, voting rights are not available.
  • In the case of debt, the company is under obligation to pay the interest expenses irrespective of profits or losses generated by the company. In the case of equity financing, shareholders receive the dividend (declared by the company).

Debt vs Equity Financing Comparison Table

Let’s discuss the top comparison between Debt vs Equity financing

Basis of Comparison  Debt Financing Equity Financing
Meaning Debt financing means where the lender provides loans to the borrower and charge interest on the sanctioned amount. Equity financing is a source of raising capital through selling shares.
Capital of Cost Under this, Interest is charged on the amount, and the rate is fixed or pre-defined. No scheduled fixed cost is involved in equity share.
Dividends Payment There is no dividend that needs to be paid. The company pays a dividend, as decided by the company.
Voting rights Lenders have no voting rights in the company, as they are the creditors of the company. Equity shareholders enjoy voting rights as they have ownership.
Participation Lenders have no participation in business activity, as there is no ownership. Equity shareholder has involvement in the entity, as they have the ownership of the entity to the extent share held.
Settlement Creditors need to be paid first. They are the last who will receive the payment.
Profit-Sharing The company doesn’t share profit with the creditors The company shares profit through dividends.
Repayment Creditors need to be paid irrespective of generating profits or loss by the company. The company needs to make a profit to pay off the shareholders, or shareholders can also sell the shares as well.

Conclusion

As we have gone through both the types of financing and major differences between them, the entity can choose whichever source of financing they want as per their need; both the sources of financing have their merits and demerits. If they don’t want the obligation to pay regular interest expenses, they can pitch to investors to get invested in your idea. It also depends on the industry. But every company should ensure that just to take the benefits of leverage; it does not pay the high cost of capital. Every business can strategize how much capital they want to raise by issuing equity shares (Equity Financing) and how much capital from secured or unsecured loans (Debt Financing).

Popular Course in this category
Finance for Non Finance Managers Course (7 Courses)7 Online Courses | 25+ Hours | Verifiable Certificate of Completion | Lifetime Access
4.5 (5,982 ratings)
Course Price

View Course

Related Courses
Cost Accounting Course (5 Courses)US GAAP Course (29 Courses with 2020 Updated)

Recommended Articles

This is a guide to Debt vs Equity Financing. Here we discuss Debt vs Equity Financing key differences with infographics and a comparison table. You can also go through our other suggested articles to learn more –

  1. Equity vs Fixed Income
  2. Liability vs Debt
  3. Stocks vs Bonds
  4. ROIC vs ROCE

All in One Financial Analyst Bundle (250+ Courses, 40+ Projects)

250+ Online Courses

40+ Projects

1000+ Hours

Verifiable Certificates

Lifetime Access

Learn More

0 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Primary Sidebar
Finance Blog
  • Accounting fundamentals
    • Asset Account
    • Estate Tax
    • Excise Tax
    • Finance Lease
    • Financial Assets Examples
    • Flat Tax
    • Accounts Receivable - Debit or Credit
    • Anti Dilutive Securities
    • Quality of Earning
    • Utilities Expenses
    • Audit Report Contents
    • Budgetary Control
    • Callable Preferred Stock
    • Capital Expenditure
    • Capital Lease Criteria
    • Carrying Amount
    • Cash Flow Analysis
    • Deferred Tax Liabilities
    • Completed Contract Method
    • Earned Income
    • Explicit Cost
    • External Audit
    • Accrued Expense
    • Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
    • Depreciation Tax Shield
    • Accounts Receivable Financing
    • Audit Report Qualified Opinion
    • Audit Report
    • Audit Report Examples
    • Marginal Tax Rate
    • Marginal Tax Rate
    • Direct vs Indirect Cash Flow Methods
    • Salvage Value
    • Balance Sheet Analysis
    • Current Liabilities Examples
    • Debtor
    • Other Comprehensive Income
    • Period Costs
    • Inventories List
    • Marketable Securities in Balance Sheet
    • Gross Sales
    • Tax Haven
    • Interim Reporting
    • Date of Record of Dividends
    • Short Term Assets
    • Revenue Streams
    • Tax Planning
    • Accounts Receivable Journal Entry
    • Book Profit
    • Capital Budgeting Importance
    • Accounts Payable Cycle
    • Inventory Audit
    • Estimated Tax
    • Dividend Declared
    • SG & A Expenses
    • Tax Lien
    • Excise Tax Examples
    • Accelerated Share Repurchase
    • Accounting Ethics
    • Accounts Payable Credit or Debit
    • Accounting for Fair Value Hedges
    • Long Term Debt in Balance Sheet
    • Assets Example
    • Audit Assertions
    • Accounts Receivable Process
    • List of Operating Expenses
    • Income Tax Accounting
    • Non-Operating Expenses
    • Unrealized Gains and Loses
    • Warranty Expense
    • What is Budgeting?
    • WIP Inventory
    • Current Liabilities
    • Zero Based Budgeting
    • Types of Liabilities on Balance Sheet
    • Marginal Costing vs Absorption Costing
    • Non-Current Liabilities Examples
    • Cash Equivalents
    • Types of Assets
    • Assets List
    • Deferred Income Tax
    • Working Capital Management Importance
    • Extraordinary Items
    • Deferred Tax
    • Long Term Liabilities
    • Perpetual Inventory System
    • Intangible Assets Examples
    • Goodwill
    • Working Capital Loan
    • Consolidated Financial Statement
    • Contingent Asset
    • Cash and Cash Equivalents
    • Fixed Assets
    • Current Asset
    • Financial Assets Types
    • Financial Assets
    • Wasting Asset
    • Write off
    • Objectives of Financial Statement Analysis
    • Earnout
    • Hire Purchase
    • Sublease
    • Off Balance Sheet
    • Liabilities Example
    • Leasehold
    • Off Balance Sheet Financing
    • Revolving Credit Facility
    • General Reserve
    • Accounting Information System
    • Accounting Transaction
    • Limitations of Financial Statement Analysis
    • 3 Types of Inventory
    • Cook the Books
    • Non Performing Assets
    • Revenue Reserve
    • Commitments and Contingencies
    • Conservatism Principle of Accounting
    • Money Measurement Concept
    • Materiality Concept
    • Types of Accounting
    • Types of Financial Statements
    • Balance Sheet Items
    • Components of Financial Statements
    • Cost Method
    • Related Party Transactions
    • Relevance in Accounting
    • Responsibility Accounting
    • Tragedy of the Commons
    • Accounts Receivable Aging
    • Accounting Scandals
    • Cost Benefit Principle
    • Accrual Accounting Examples
    • Fiscal Year
    • Financial Statement Limitations
    • Grey List
    • Objectives of Financial Statements
    • What are Accounting Principles?
    • Accounting Controls
    • Users of Financial Statements
    • Accounting Cycle
    • Accounting Estimates
    • Window Dressing in Accounting
    • What are Accounting Policies?
    • Fringe Benefits
    • Full Disclosure Principle
    • Financial Statement Examples
    • Sunk Cost
    • Accounts Receivable Turnover Ratio
    • Days in Inventory
    • Current Ratio vs Quick Ratio
    • Investment Banking vs Private Equity
    • Private Equity vs Hedge Fund
    • Accounting Ratios
    • Shell Corporation
    • Cost Accounting Career
    • Funds from Operations
    • Accounting Career
    • Actuaries Career
    • General Ledger Accounting
    • Forensic Accounting Career
    • Auditing Career
    • Budgeting Career
    • Gross Profit Ratio
    • Management Accounting Career
    • Cycle Counting
    • Going Concern Concept
    • Debit Note vs Credit Note
    • EBIT vs Net Income
    • EBIT vs Operating Income
    • EBITDA vs Net Income
    • EBITDA vs Operating Income
    • GAPP vs Non-GAAP
    • Finance vs Lease
    • Gross sales vs Net sales
    • Income Tax vs Payroll Tax
    • Mortgage Banker vs Broker
    • Revenue vs Net Income
    • Shareholder vs Stakeholder
    • Stock Option vs RSU
    • Full Form of FYI
    • Return on Invested Capital
    • Transaction Exposure
    • LLC vs Partnership
    • Replacement Cost
    • Unit Contribution Margin
    • Accounts Payable vs Notes Payable
    • CA vs CS
    • Capitalizing vs Expensing
    • CPA vs CA
    • Trial Balance vs Balance Sheet
    • CA vs MBA
    • Merger Accounting
    • Cash Management
    • Sole Proprietorship vs LLC
    • Manufacturing Overhead
    • Asset Retirement Obligation
    • Temporary Account
    • Leveraged Lease
    • Predetermined Overhead Rate
    • Drag-Along Rights
    • Special Journal
    • Interest vs Dividend
    • Direct Materials
    • Accounting Method
    • Return on Sales
    • Calendar Year vs Fiscal Year
    • Contribution Margin Income Statement
    • Activity Based Budgeting
    • Common Size Income Statement
    • Capital Lease vs Operating Lease
    • Insolvency vs Bankruptcy
    • Vertical Analysis of Income Statement
    • Debt vs Equity Financing
    • Adjusted EBITDA
    • LLC vs Inc
    • Return on Average Capital Employed
    • Stocks vs Real Estate
    • Return on Equity
    • Return on Capital Employed
    • Diluted Earnings Per Share
    • Limited Partner vs General Partner
    • Basic EPS
    • Cash Flow Return on Investment
    • Fixed vs Variable
    • Public Company vs Private Company
    • Market Order vs Limit Order
    • Return on Total Assets
    • Hard Cost vs Soft Cost
    • Return on Average Assets
    • Ethereum vs Ethereum Classic
    • Capital Employed
    • Gross Profit Percentage
    • OIBDA
    • Average Collection Period
    • Profit Margin
    • EBITDA Margin
    • Working Capital Turnover Ratio
    • Marginal vs Effective Tax Rate
    • CFO vs Controller
    • Accounting Interview Questions
    • EBITDA
    • Asymmetric Information
    • Days Payable Outstanding
    • Journal Examples
    • Debit vs Credit
    • Lease vs Rent
    • Buying vs Leasing
    • Finance Job From Engineering
    • Days Inventory Outstanding
    • Horizontal Integration Example
    • Revenue Expenditure
    • Accounts Payable Turnover Ratio
    • Statement of Cash Flows
    • Days Sales Uncollected
    • Days Sales Outstanding
    • Statement of Income Example
    • Unadjusted Trial Balance
    • Red Herring Example
    • Revenue vs Turnover
    • Functions of Financial Market
    • Cost of Goods Sold Example
    • Operating Ratio
    • Stock Turnover Ratio
    • Bill of Sale Examples
    • Break Even Analysis Example
    • Financial Analysis Example
    • Statement of Retained Earnings Example
    • Equity Ratio
    • Long Term Liabilities Example
    • Defensive Interval Ratio
    • Operating Expense Example
    • Solvency Ratio
    • Capital Adequacy Ratio
    • Cash Flow From Operations Ratio
    • Working Capital Example
    • Cash Reserve Ratio
    • Quick Ratio
    • Loan Sharks
    • Fixed Asset Examples
    • Partnership Example
    • Standard Deviation Examples
    • Accounting vs CPA
    • Period Cost vs Product Cost
    • Cash Ratio
    • Investment vs Speculation
    • Annuity vs Lump Sum
    • Bank Draft vs Certified Cheque
    • Bidding vs Auction
    • Better in Business and Finance
    • Direct Tax vs Indirect Tax
    • Financial Ratio Analysis Technique
    • EPS and Diluted EPS
    • Stocks vs Bonds
    • IFRS Vs US GAAP
    • Finance Degree Career Options
    • Tax Slabs & Rates
    • Lease vs Buy
    • Interest Rate vs Annual Percentage Rate
    • Long Term vs Short Term Capital Gains
    • Memorandum of Association vs Article of Association
    • Large Cap vs Small Cap
    • CPA vs CMA
    • Assets vs Liabilities
    • Revenue vs Income
    • Bookkeeping vs Accounting
    • Financial Lease vs Operating Lease
    • EBIT vs EBITDA
    • Revenue vs Sales
    • Common stock vs Preferred stock
    • US GAAP vs IFRS
    • Current Account vs Capital Account
    • IFRS in India
    • Finance vs Economics
    • ACCA vs CIMA
    • Current Assets vs Non Current Assets
    • Economic Examples
    • Investment vs savings
    • Active vs Passive Investing
    • Financial Accounting vs Management Accounting
    • Revenue vs Earnings
    • Trade Discount vs Cash Discount
    • Limited Liability Company
    • Finance for Non Finance Professionals
    • Costs vs Expenses
    • Chapter 11 vs Chapter 13
    • Why Financial Analytics
    • Accounting vs Financial Management
    • ACA vs ACCA
    • ACCA vs CPA
    • Budget vs Forecast
    • Positive Economics vs Normative Economics
    • CA vs ACCA
    • Stakeholders Example
    • Stock vs Options
    • Liquidity vs Solvency
    • Stock vs Equities
    • Franchising vs Licensing
    • GDP vs GNP
    • Inflation vs Deflation
    • Economic Growth vs Economic Development
    • Direct cost vs Indirect Cost
    • Accrual Accounting vs Cash Accounting
    • FCFF vs FCFE
    • Public vs Private Accounting
    • Capex vs Opex
    • BSE vs NSE
    • Loans vs Advances
    • Discount Rate vs Interest Rate
    • ROIC vs ROCE
    • Percentage Of Completion Method
    • 10K vs 10Q
    • Shares Outstanding vs Float
    • Contribution Margin vs Gross Margin
    • Short Term vs Long Term Capital Gains
    • General Journal vs General Ledger
    • Outsourcing vs Offshoring
    • Depreciation vs Amortization
    • Liability vs Debt
    • Asset Purchase vs Stock Purchase
    • Accrual vs Provision
    • Actuary vs Accountant
    • Stock vs Inventory
    • Liability vs Expense
    • Dividends EX-Date vs Record Date
    • Bid Price vs Ask Price
    • Dividend vs Growth
    • Time vs Money
    • IRA vs 401 (k)
    • Corporation vs LLC
    • CEO vs President
    • Margin vs Markup
    • Leasehold vs Freehold
    • Lending vs Borrowing
    • Non-Profit vs Not For Profit
    • Corporation vs Incorporation
    • CFO vs CEO
    • Purchase vs Procurement
    • Deficit vs Debt
    • Internal Audit Vs External Audit
    • C Corp vs S Corp
    • Absolute Advantage vs Comparative Advantage
    • Tangible vs Intangible
    • Executive Director vs Managing Director
    • Company vs Firm
    • Insurance vs Assurance
    • Expense vs Expenditure
    • Hard Money vs Soft Money
    • Entrepreneurship vs Management
    • Loan vs Mortgage
    • Fair Value vs Market Value
    • Chief Executive Officer vs Managing Director
    • Manufacturing vs Production
    • Random Error vs Systematic Error
    • 401(K) vs Roth IRA
    • 403(b) vs 457
    • Adjusting Entries
    • Equity vs Commodity
    • Turnover vs Profit
    • Effective Interest Rate
    • Working Capital Ratio
    • Margin vs Profit
    • Loan vs Lease
    • Shares vs Debentures
    • Equity vs Fixed Income
    • Market Equilibrium
    • Economics vs Business
    • Secured vs Unsecured Credit Card
    • Profitability vs Liquidity
    • Z score vs T score
    • Equity vs Asset
    • Geometric Mean vs Arithmetic Mean
    • Cost vs Price
    • Industry vs Sector
    • ShortSale vs Foreclosure
    • Revenue vs Profit
    • Real Interest Rate
    • Account Payable vs Accrued Expense
    • Day Trading vs Swing Trading
    • Indirect Costs
    • Graphs vs Charts
    • Issued Shares vs Outstanding Shares
    • Creditor vs Debtor
    • Annuity vs IRA
    • Pension vs Annuity
    • Debt Consolidation vs Bankruptcy
    • Equity vs Shares
    • Economic Utility
    • Average vs Weighted Average
    • Operating Profit vs Net Profit
    • Purpose of Income Statement
    • NASDAQ vs Dow Jones
    • Direct Method of Cash Flow Statement
    • Real GDP
    • Derivatives Example
    • Nominal GDP
    • Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
    • Cost of Sales vs Cost of Goods Sold
    • Historical Value vs Fair Value
    • General Ledger vs Trial Balance
    • Actual Cash Value vs Replacement Cost
    • Job Costing vs Process Costing
    • Standard Cost vs Actual Cost
    • 401k vs Annuity
    • FIFO vs LIFO
    • Bid Price vs Offer Price
    • Sole Proprietorship vs Partnership
    • Equity Shares vs Preference Shares
    • Debt vs Equity
    • Cost Accounting vs Financial Accounting
    • Coupon vs Yield
    • Career in Finance
    • Gross Salary vs Net Salary
    • Tax Credit vs Tax Deduction
    • Variance vs Standard Deviation
    • What is Disposable Income
    • Liabilities in Accounting
    • Chapter 7 vs Chapter 11
    • Budgeting Examples
    • Fixed Costs Example
    • Joint Venture Example
    • Quantitative Research Example
    • Bootstrapping Examples
    • Monopoly Examples
    • Monopolistic Competition Examples
    • Risk Assessment Example
    • Inflation Accounting
    • Defined Benefit Plan
    • Variable Costing Example
    • Acquisition Examples
    • Cognitive Dissonance Example
    • Opportunity Costs Examples
    • Globalization Example
    • Histogram Examples
    • Mean Example
    • Trial Balance Example
    • Command Economy Examples
    • Sunk Cost Examples
    • Compounding Example
    • Compound Interest Example
    • Profit vs Income
    • Joint Venture vs Partnership
    • Comparative Advantage Example
    • Bank Reconciliation Example
    • Competitive Advantage Example
    • Accrual vs Deferral
  • Asset Management Tutorial (140+)
  • Banking (43+)
  • Corporate Finance Basics (126+)
  • Credit Research Fundamentals (6+)
  • Economics (44+)
  • Finance Formula (372+)
  • Financial Modeling in Excel (13+)
  • Investment Banking Basics (60+)
  • Investment Banking Careers (26+)
  • Trading for dummies (66+)
  • valuation basics (25+)
Finance Blog Courses
  • Finance for Non Finance Managers Certification
  • Cost Accounting Course
  • US GAAP Course
Footer
About Us
  • Blog
  • Who is EDUCBA?
  • Sign Up
  • Corporate Training
  • Certificate from Top Institutions
  • Contact Us
  • Verifiable Certificate
  • Reviews
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  •  
Apps
  • iPhone & iPad
  • Android
Resources
  • Free Courses
  • Investment Banking Jobs Offer
  • Finance Formula
  • All Tutorials
Certification Courses
  • All Courses
  • Financial Analyst All in One Bundle
  • Investment Banking Training
  • Financial Modeling Course
  • Equity Research Course
  • Private Equity Training Course
  • Business Valuation Course
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Course

© 2020 - EDUCBA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THE CERTIFICATION NAMES ARE THE TRADEMARKS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

EDUCBA Login

Forgot Password?

EDUCBA
Free Investment Banking Course

Corporate Valuation, Investment Banking, Accounting, CFA Calculator & others

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you
Book Your One Instructor : One Learner Free Class

Let’s Get Started

This website or its third-party tools use cookies, which are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the cookie policy. By closing this banner, scrolling this page, clicking a link or continuing to browse otherwise, you agree to our Privacy Policy

EDUCBA

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you
EDUCBA
Free Investment Banking Course

Corporate Valuation, Investment Banking, Accounting, CFA Calculator & others

*Please provide your correct email id. Login details for this Free course will be emailed to you

Special Offer - Finance for Non Finance Managers Certification Learn More