In the context of raising finance, a financial instrument evidencing a debt of the issuer, under which the issuer promises to pay the bondholder the face value of the bond plus (usually) amounts of interest at future dates. Bonds are a type of debt security and are also known as "notes". For more on this type of bond, see Practice note, Bond issues: overview.

In the context of protection against non-performance of a contract, see bank guarantee.