A to Z of financial terms

A mini-bond is a type of investment that typically offer high returns. This reflects the much higher risks involved in the investment. There is no legal definition of a ‘mini-bond’, but it's essentially an IOU issued by a company to an investor in exchange for a fixed rate of interest over a set period. The return on investors’ money depends on the success and proper running of the issuer’s business. We've permanently banned the promotion of 'speculative mini-bonds' to consumers unless they're 'sophisticated' or have a high net worth. Read more about mini-bonds.

Money is ‘laundered’ to disguise where it came from. It’s usually done to make the proceeds of crime look like they came from a legal source.

Money remittance is money that is moved from one account to another, usually via electronic means such as a bank transfer.

A type of scam that involves receiving a payment into your bank account, withdrawing the cash, then sending it abroad by other means in return for commission. A request to transfer money for someone is likely to be a scam and could lead to laundering money for criminals, which is a serious criminal offence. See how to protect yourself from scams.

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