merchant bank

American

noun

British Finance.

a private banking firm engaged chiefly in investing in new issues of securities and in accepting bills of exchange in foreign trade.

merchant bank British

noun

(in Britain) a financial institution engaged primarily in accepting foreign bills, advising companies on flotations and takeovers, underwriting new issues, hire-purchase finance, making long-term loans to companies, and managing investment portfolios, funds, and trusts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of merchant bank

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

merchant bank

Ives now is a partner and senior managing director at merchant bank Yorkville Ives, which he helped launch earlier this year.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

Most recently, she was president and vice chairman of the merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners.

From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026

The merchant bank, which has the largest relative exposure given that car finance represents a significant part of its loan book, has so far set aside a 165 million-pound provision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025

BDT & MSD Partners, an American global merchant bank, have worked with Chelsea as financial advisors on a potential minority investment in the club.

From BBC ● May 29, 2024

Redstone brought in merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners and its capital arm, which paid $125 million to become a preferred investor in National Amusements.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023