Refers to the act of lending and borrowing, often in a financial or transactional context. The term is somewhat formal and not commonly used in everyday conversation.
It became difficult to get a loan from the bank.
I signed the loan agreement.
Compound of 借 (しゃく, 'borrow') and 貸 (たい, 'lend'). The reading しゃくたい is a kan'on reading. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is formed from two characters representing the reciprocal actions of borrowing and lending.