债权人俗称债主，是与债务人相对应的法律术语。如果甲方（可以是自然人、企业法人或政府等）有权要求乙方主张特定的服务或财产，则称甲方为「债权人」，称乙方为「债务人」。

一般情况下，债权人会基于债务人将向其偿付等价值的服务或财产的假定下而向乙方提供一定价值的财产或服务，而该假定一般是由合同支持的。比如甲方向乙方支付了货款购买乙方的产品，在乙方收到资金但尚未将产品交付甲方时，甲方为乙方的「债权人」，乙方为甲方的「债务人」。

预付方（Creditors）主要是指预付款者，有权请求他方为特定行为的权利主体，是指那些对企业提供需偿还的融资的机构和个人，包括给企业提供贷款的机构或个人（贷款债权人）和以出售货物或劳务形式提供短期融资的机构或个人（商业债权人）。

A creditor is a party (e.g. person, organization, company, or government) that has a claim on the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property or service to the second party under the assumption (usually enforced by contract) that the second party will return an equivalent property and service. The second party is frequently called a debtor or borrower. The first party is the creditor, which is the lender of property, service or money.