Literature and practice have been discussing for several years whether the financing form of mezzanine capital is a curse or a blessing. In finance, mezzanine capital refers to the capital that lies between equity and debt. Mezzanine financial instruments are the financial instruments issued in exchange for mezzanine capital. The demand for and supply of mezzanine financial instruments can be inferred from the fact that these instruments can be classified as debt in tax law and as equity in banking supervision law and accounting. However, forming a judgment about the significance of mezzanine financial instruments is complicated by the fact that there is often no unified opinion in these legal areas regarding the distinction between equity and debt and the resulting implications.