Money market and capital market questions turn on one distinction — how long the money is borrowed for — and on knowing which instrument belongs where. Get that right and the rest of the topic follows. This post sets out the comparison, lists every money market instrument exams ask about, covers the capital market side and the regulators, and ends with 15 previous year questions.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Money market — short term, up to one year; regulated by the RBI
- Capital market — long term, more than one year; regulated by SEBI
- Treasury Bills are issued by the Government of India, at a discount, with no interest paid separately
- Commercial Paper is issued by companies; Certificate of Deposit by banks
- Call money is borrowing for one day; notice money is for 2 to 14 days
1. The core comparison
| Money Market | Capital Market | |
|---|---|---|
| Time period | Short term, up to one year | Long term, above one year |
| Purpose | Working capital and short-term liquidity | Fixed capital, long-term investment |
| Regulator | Reserve Bank of India | SEBI |
| Instruments | Treasury Bills, Commercial Paper, Certificate of Deposit, call money, commercial bills | Shares, debentures, bonds, government securities |
| Risk and return | Low risk, low return | Higher risk, higher return |
| Liquidity | Very high | Comparatively lower |
The one-year line is what almost every question tests. An instrument maturing within a year belongs to the money market; beyond a year it belongs to the capital market. The regulator follows from that — RBI for the money market, SEBI for the capital market — and that pairing is asked on its own.
One instrument sits across the line and is asked because of it. Government securities of short maturity are money market instruments, while long-dated government securities are capital market instruments, even though the issuer is the same.
2. Money market instruments
| Instrument | Issued by | Key fact |
|---|---|---|
| Treasury Bills | Government of India, through the RBI | Issued at a discount and redeemed at face value; no separate interest. Tenors of 91, 182 and 364 days |
| Commercial Paper | Companies and financial institutions | Unsecured promissory note for short-term funds |
| Certificate of Deposit | Banks and select financial institutions | A negotiable term deposit receipt |
| Call money | Banks, among themselves | Borrowing for one day; the rate is the call rate |
| Notice money | Banks | Borrowing for 2 to 14 days |
| Term money | Banks | Borrowing for 15 days to one year |
| Commercial bills | Businesses | Bills of exchange arising from trade, discounted by banks |
Treasury Bills are the most asked instrument in this topic, and the facts expected are that they are issued at a discount to face value with no coupon, that the issuer is the Government of India, and that the standard tenors are 91, 182 and 364 days. There is no 364-day equivalent beyond one year, because that would no longer be a money market instrument.
Commercial Paper against Certificate of Deposit is the pair papers place against each other. The way to hold it is by issuer: companies issue commercial paper, banks issue certificates of deposit.
3. The capital market side
The capital market is where long-term funds are raised, and it splits into two parts that are asked as a pair.
| Segment | What happens there |
|---|---|
| Primary market | New securities are issued for the first time — an IPO is the standard example. The company receives the money |
| Secondary market | Existing securities are traded between investors on stock exchanges. The company receives nothing |
Only the primary market brings money to the company, and that is the distinction questions test. An IPO is a primary market transaction; buying the same share the next week on an exchange is a secondary market transaction.
| Instrument | What it represents |
|---|---|
| Equity share | Ownership in the company, with voting rights and dividend, paid last in a winding-up |
| Preference share | Preference in dividend and repayment, usually without voting rights |
| Debenture or bond | Debt — a loan to the company, carrying fixed interest, paid before shareholders |
| Government securities | Long-dated borrowing by the government, considered the safest |
| Mutual fund unit | A pooled investment managed by a fund house |
A shareholder is an owner and a debenture holder is a lender. That single sentence answers a whole family of questions — who votes, who gets fixed interest, who is paid first if the company winds up.
4. Regulators and key rates
| Body or term | What it is |
|---|---|
| RBI | Regulates the money market, banks and monetary policy |
| SEBI | Regulates the securities market; established 1988, statutory in 1992; headquarters Mumbai |
| IRDAI | Regulates insurance; headquarters Hyderabad |
| PFRDA | Regulates pensions |
| Repo rate | Rate at which the RBI lends to banks against securities |
| Reverse repo rate | Rate at which the RBI borrows from banks |
| NSE and BSE | The main stock exchanges; BSE is the older, established 1875 |
SEBI becoming statutory in 1992 and its Mumbai headquarters are the two facts asked most in this section. Repo against reverse repo is the other standard pair — in the repo the RBI lends, in the reverse repo the RBI borrows.
Policy rates change at every monetary policy review, so treat any specific percentage as a figure to check rather than to memorise. The definitions and the direction of each rate do not change.
5. Previous year questions
- The money market deals in funds of what maturity? — Up to one year
- Who regulates the money market in India? — The Reserve Bank of India
- Who regulates the capital market in India? — SEBI
- Treasury Bills are issued by whom? — The Government of India
- Treasury Bills are issued in which manner? — At a discount, redeemed at face value
- What are the standard tenors of Treasury Bills? — 91, 182 and 364 days
- Commercial Paper is issued by whom? — Companies and financial institutions
- Certificates of Deposit are issued by whom? — Banks
- Call money is borrowing for what period? — One day
- Notice money covers which period? — 2 to 14 days
- In which market are new securities issued for the first time? — The primary market
- Who receives the money in an IPO? — The company
- A debenture holder is what to the company? — A lender
- SEBI became a statutory body in which year? — 1992
- At which rate does the RBI lend to banks? — The repo rate
6. How to revise this topic
Start from the one-year line, because almost every question rests on it. Anything maturing within a year is money market and regulated by the RBI; anything longer is capital market and regulated by SEBI. Once that is fixed, each instrument simply slots into one side.
Then learn the instruments by issuer rather than by name, since that is how the distractors are built: government issues Treasury Bills, companies issue Commercial Paper, banks issue Certificates of Deposit.
Keep the rates and percentages out of your notes entirely. Repo and reverse repo change at every policy review, so learn what each one means and which direction money flows, and check the current figure only before the examination.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between the money market and the capital market?
The money market deals in short-term funds up to one year and is regulated by the RBI. The capital market deals in long-term funds beyond one year and is regulated by SEBI. The one-year line is what most questions test.
How are Treasury Bills issued?
At a discount to face value and redeemed at face value, so the gain is the difference rather than a separate interest payment. They are issued by the Government of India through the RBI, in tenors of 91, 182 and 364 days.
What is the difference between Commercial Paper and a Certificate of Deposit?
The issuer. Commercial Paper is issued by companies and financial institutions as an unsecured short-term promissory note; a Certificate of Deposit is issued by banks as a negotiable term deposit receipt.
What is the difference between the primary and secondary market?
In the primary market new securities are issued for the first time, as in an IPO, and the company receives the money. In the secondary market existing securities are traded between investors, and the company receives nothing.
What is the difference between repo and reverse repo?
In a repo the RBI lends money to banks against securities. In a reverse repo the RBI borrows from banks. The definitions are stable but the actual rates change at every policy review.
For more Economy topics in simple language, see our Stock Market Basics: SEBI, NSE and BSE and Monetary Policy: Repo Rate, CRR and SLR posts, or browse the Economy section. Preparing for a bank exam? Start with the IBPS PO guide or join the 100 Hour GS Course.