The real wordsTheory
The definition to write in the exam
Financial systemA framework which facilitates efficient flow of funds from saving to investment by bringing savers and borrowers together via financial markets and financial institutions.
Four words in that sentence are doing work. Efficient: the pipe should be cheap. Saving to investment: the direction. Markets: where savers and borrowers meet directly. Institutions: banks and funds that stand in between.
Learn it verbatim. It is the opening line of half the long answers in this course.