Huang Qifan: What is the essence of finance? (Easy to understand)

A brother asked me, in China, what is the essence of finance?

Here I quote Mayor Huang Qifan's three sentences:

First: Manage money for the wealthy, and finance for those who lack money;

Second: The core essence of financial enterprises lies in the three links of credit, leverage, and risk; we need to grasp these three links and their degree well;

Third: The purpose of all financial activities is to serve the real economy.