In banking, a merchant bank is a traditional term for an Investment Bank. It can also be used to describe the private equity activities of banking. A merchant bank is a financial institution providing capital to companies in the form of share ownership instead of loans. A merchant bank also provides advisory on corporate matters to the firms in which they invest. In the United Kingdom, the historical term "merchant bank" refers to an bank. A Merchant Bank can be generally described as a financial services company with a private equity investment arm offering investment banking and ancillary services as well. Because a merchant bank acts not only as an advisor and broker but also as a principal, a merchant bank has a longer term approach than a typical investment bank and is highly concerned with the viability of each investment opportunity and providing the right advice for a strong partnership with each client company.