The Role of Nonbank Financial Institutions in Monetary Policy

This is the second in an ongoing series on nonbank financial institutions. Read the first article on the basics of NBFIs.
The Federal Reserve has historically relied on commercial banks and select broker-dealers to implement and transmit monetary policy. In recent years, nonbank financial institutions (NBFIs) have taken on increasingly important roles. As discussed in a previous article, NBFIs are financial companies that perform a variety of financial services but do not have a bank license. Examples of NBFIs include investment funds, pension funds, insurers, government-sponsored entities, and broker-dealers. In this article, we discuss some of the ways that NBFIs contribute to the implementation and transmission of monetary policy in the United States.
The Basics of Nonbank Financial Institutions

This is the first in an ongoing series on nonbank financial institutions.
There is a vast set of U.S. financial institutions that sit outside the banking system. These companies, which are called “nonbank financial institutions” (NBFIs), are collectively much larger than U.S. banks, as measured by assets, and perform a broad array of services for the U.S economy. In this article, we discuss the universe of NBFIs and their importance for the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, supervision, and financial stability objectives.