Lenin in Imperialism talks about the emergence of finance capital as the major driver of imperial conquests. These days we have seen trends of “financialisation” of western economies coupled with deindustrialisation.
I guess what confuses me is why this trend towards financialisation is a thing where you cede real material industrial power in favour of large banks.
When you finance something, it’s done with the the understanding that the financee is obligated to provide returns on your investment.
There can also be other terms as to what they can and cannot do with your money, or even terms regarding how third parties cannot affect how the company operates.
So it’s not like giving money is one and done, but rather there’s a significant amount of “derisking” that limits the money to be only used for capitalist accumulation disregarding all else.