Financial intermediation consists of “channeling funds between surplus and deficit agents”. A financial intermediary is a financial institution that connects surplus and deficit agents. The classic example of a financial intermediary is a bank that consolidates bank deposits and uses the funds to transform them into bank loans.
Through the process of financial intermediation, certain assets or liabilities are transformed into different assets or liabilities. As such, financial intermediaries channel funds from people who have extra money or surplus savings (savers) to those who do not have enough money to carry out a desired activity (borrowers).
Against this background, clearly discuss how financial intermediaries help in reconciling conflicting preferences of lenders and borrowers and how risk averse intermediaries help spread out and decrease risks