Finance is a term that broadly describes the study and system of money, investments and other financial instruments.
Finance can be divided into three categories: public finance, corporate finance and personal finance.
More recent sub-categories of finance include social finance and behavioral finance.
The history of finance and financial activities dates back to the dawn of civilization. Banks and interest-bearing loans existed as early as 3000 BC. Coins were in circulation as early as 1000 BC.
Although finance has its roots in scientific fields such as statistics, economics and mathematics, finance also includes non-scientific elements that liken it to art.