Basis points are crucial in finance for measuring changes in interest rates, bond yields, and other percentages. They provide a standardized method for expressing small percentage changes, which is especially useful in markets with large-scale financial instruments and transactions. For instance, an interest rate change from 5% to 5. 25% is a 25 basis point increase. Basis points eliminate the ambiguity that can arise when discussing percentage changes, as they provide a more precise, consistent way of communicating small fluctuations.