A bond is a debt security issued by a corporation or a government. By buying bonds, investors loan the issuer money in return for an interest rate. By issuing bonds, the state receives funds that can then be injected into the economy, and corporations raise funds for new research or other operational activities. The alphanumeric code of government bonds represents the abbreviated name of the issuing state, as well as its time to maturity. For example, South Africa 20 Year Government Bonds is the South Africa government bonds with the maturity of 20 years.