Why don't banks directly buy houses and invest in Zhihu?

Because banks are not qualified. It just acts as a credit intermediary.

Banks are legally established financial institutions engaged in money and credit business.

A financial institution whose duty is to act as a credit intermediary through deposits, loans, remittances and savings. Commercial banks are one of the most important financial institutions, and their main business scope includes absorbing public deposits, issuing loans and discounting bills.

A bank is an enterprise dealing in money, and its existence facilitates the financing and integration of social funds.

Yes, it is a very important member of financial institutions.

We can see the business of the bank. On the one hand, it collects idle monetary funds and small monetary savings in society by absorbing deposits, and then lends them to people who need to replenish money in the form of loans. Here, banks act as intermediaries between lenders and borrowers.

On the other hand, banks handle the payment and settlement of money for commodity producers and businessmen, and also act as payment intermediaries. In short, banks play the role of credit intermediaries.