Memoranda from finance houses have a definite value (9)
I believe the answer is:
banknotes
'memoranda from finance houses' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are plural nouns, I can't see how one could define the other.
'a definite value' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'a' could be 'an' and 'an' is present in the answer.
'value' could be 'note' (synonyms) and 'note' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'have' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for banknotes that I've seen is " 1a [money]".)