The Indian financial system consists of both formal and informal sectors. The formal sector is organized, institutional, and regulated, catering to modern sectors of the economy. The informal sector is unorganized, non-institutional, and non-regulated, dealing with traditional and rural areas. The key components of the formal system include regulators like RBI and SEBI, financial institutions like banks and NBFCs, financial markets, instruments, and services. Over time, the Indian financial system has shifted from being primarily private to public sector dominated and is now globalized and privatized with developments like deregulation, privatization of institutions, and growth of new entities.