IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v12y2025i1d10.1057_s41599-025-05931-4.html

FinTech, bank risk-taking, and credit allocation

Author

Listed:
  • Yun He

    (Hubei University of Economics
    Research Center of Hubei Financial Development and Financial Security)

  • Wei Fan

    (Zhengzhou University)

Abstract

Over the past decade, FinTech has emerged as a pivotal catalyst for diversifying the operational landscape of commercial banks and fostering innovation in their revenue streams. However, the influence of FinTech on bank risk profiles and its heterogeneous efficacy across various credit segments warrant closer examination. Utilizing a dataset encompassing 587 commercial banks from 2015 to 2022, this study examines the impact of FinTech on bank risk-taking, with a focus on credit allocation as a key mechanism through which FinTech influences credit risk management. The study reveals three key insights: (1) FinTech augments banks’ proactive risk-taking while simultaneously curbing their exposure to passive risk; (2) FinTech demonstrates notable efficacy in mitigating risks in micro and small credit and retail credit sectors, with less pronounced effects in corporate credit; (3) The risk-preventive impact of FinTech is particularly pronounced in regional banks, albeit with regional differences in its effectiveness. In light of these findings, we propose that commercial banks actively adopt FinTech advancements and expand their application across various credit domains. Banks are encouraged to capitalize on their unique strengths to refine FinTech integration. Furthermore, we advise regulatory bodies to enhance their supervisory capabilities and cultivate regulatory technology to preempt and mitigate potential systemic risks stemming from FinTech advancements.

Suggested Citation

  • Yun He & Wei Fan, 2025. "FinTech, bank risk-taking, and credit allocation," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05931-4
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-05931-4
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-05931-4
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-025-05931-4?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. He, Miao & Song, Ge & Chen, Qianqian, 2023. "Fintech adoption, internal control quality and bank risk taking: Evidence from Chinese listed banks," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    2. Fung, Derrick W.H. & Lee, Wing Yan & Yeh, Jason J.H. & Yuen, Fei Lung, 2020. "Friend or foe: The divergent effects of FinTech on financial stability," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).
    3. Gambacorta, Leonardo & Huang, Yiping & Qiu, Han & Wang, Jingyi, 2024. "How do machine learning and non-traditional data affect credit scoring? New evidence from a Chinese fintech firm," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    4. Li, Chengyou & Li, Yuxin & Xu, Yun & Sun, Guanglin, 2025. "Research on the impact of financial technology on risk-taking of commercial banks," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    5. Li, Jianping & Li, Jingyu & Zhu, Xiaoqian & Yao, Yinhong & Casu, Barbara, 2020. "Risk spillovers between FinTech and traditional financial institutions: Evidence from the U.S," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    6. Haochen Guo & Petr Polak, 2023. "Intelligent finance and change management implications," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    7. Tetyana Balyuk, 2023. "FinTech Lending and Bank Credit Access for Consumers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(1), pages 555-575, January.
    8. Phan, Dinh Hoang Bach & Narayan, Paresh Kumar & Rahman, R. Eki & Hutabarat, Akhis R., 2020. "Do financial technology firms influence bank performance?," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    9. René M. Stulz, 2019. "FinTech, BigTech, and the Future of Banks," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 31(4), pages 86-97, December.
    10. Cheng, Maoyong & Qu, Yang, 2020. "Does bank FinTech reduce credit risk? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    11. Lei Xu & Qian Liu & Bin Li & Chen Ma, 2022. "Fintech business and firm access to bank loans," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4381-4421, December.
    12. Nguyen Thanh Liem & Tran Hung Son & Ho Huu Tin & Nguyen Thi Canh, 2022. "Fintech credit, credit information sharing and bank stability: some international evidence," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 2112527-211, December.
    13. Mark A Chen & Qinxi Wu & Baozhong Yang, 2019. "How Valuable Is FinTech Innovation?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 32(5), pages 2062-2106.
    14. Khan, Habib Hussain & Kutan, Ali M. & Qureshi, Fiza, 2024. "Fintech integration: Driving efficiency in banking institutions across the developing nations," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    15. Guo, Junyan & Fang, Hanqing & Liu, Xuexin & Wang, Cizhi & Wang, Yuan, 2023. "FinTech and financing constraints of enterprises: Evidence from China," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    16. Jia, Xiaoran, 2024. "FinTech penetration, charter value, and bank risk-taking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    17. Hu, Mingya & Zhang, Yongjie & Feng, Xu & Xiong, Xiong, 2024. "How technological innovation influence operational risk: Evidence from banks in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
    18. Ting Yao & Liangrong Song, 2021. "Examining the differences in the impact of Fintech on the economic capital of commercial banks’ market risk: evidence from a panel system GMM analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(23), pages 2647-2660, May.
    19. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Li, Xinrui & Yu, Chin-Hsien & Zhao, Jinsong, 2021. "Does fintech innovation improve bank efficiency? Evidence from China’s banking industry," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 468-483.
    20. Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham & Isaac Sorkin & Henry Swift, 2020. "Bartik Instruments: What, When, Why, and How," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(8), pages 2586-2624, August.
    21. Ni, Qing & Zhang, Li & Wu, Chengsong, 2023. "Fintech and commercial bank risks–The moderating effect of financial regulation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    22. Geng, Hongyan & Guo, Pin & Cheng, Maoyong, 2023. "The dark side of bank FinTech: Evidence from a transition economy," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1811-1830.
    23. Kowalewski, Oskar & Pisany, Paweł, 2022. "Banks' consumer lending reaction to fintech and bigtech credit emergence in the context of soft versus hard credit information processing," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    24. Zhao, Jinsong & Li, Xinghao & Yu, Chin-Hsien & Chen, Shi & Lee, Chi-Chuan, 2022. "Riding the FinTech innovation wave: FinTech, patents and bank performance," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    25. Rui Wang & Jiangtao Liu & Hang(Robin) Luo, 2021. "Fintech development and bank risk taking in China," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4-5), pages 397-418, March.
    26. Cornelli, Giulio & Frost, Jon & Gambacorta, Leonardo & Jagtiani, Julapa, 2024. "The impact of fintech lending on credit access for U.S. small businesses," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    27. Shafiq Ur Rehman & Mustafa Al-Shaikh & Patrick Bernard Washington & Ernesto Lee & Ziheng Song & Ibrahim A. Abu-AlSondos & Maha Shehadeh & Mahmoud Allahham, 2023. "FinTech Adoption in SMEs and Bank Credit Supplies: A Study on Manufacturing SMEs," Economies, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-15, August.
    28. Sikalao-Lekobane, Onneetse L., 2024. "Does FinTech credit enhance or disrupt financial stability?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    29. Cai, Yulong & Huang, Zhuo & Zhang, Xun, 2024. "FinTech adoption and rural economic development: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Luiz Octavio Vianna Marques, 2026. "Bailout Policies: Systemic Risk vs Moral Hazard," Journal of Applied Finance & Banking, SCIENPRESS Ltd, vol. 16(2), pages 1-2.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. He, Yun & Li, Wei & Tan, Xiaofen & Sun, Yuchen, 2025. "Economic policy uncertainty, digital transformation, and bank systemic risk," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Zhang, Xudong & Li, Zhihui, 2025. "FinTech: The disruptive force reducing bank competition pressure," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Jiang, Kangqi & Chen, Zhongfei & Rughoo, Aarti & Zhou, Mengling, 2022. "Internet finance and corporate investment: Evidence from China," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Guo, Junyan & Fang, Hanqing & Liu, Xuexin & Wang, Cizhi & Wang, Yuan, 2023. "FinTech and financing constraints of enterprises: Evidence from China," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    5. Choudhary, Priya & Thenmozhi, M., 2024. "Fintech and financial sector: ADO analysis and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Tang, Mengxuan & Hu, Yang & Hou, Yang (Greg) & Oxley, Les & Goodell, John W., 2025. "Fintech development and corporate financial policy: Evidence from corporate financing and investment," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    7. Chen, Muzi & Li, Geng & Li, Nan & Yang, Xiaoguang & Trainor, William J., 2025. "Impact of regional digital economy on default recovery: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Li, Yunzhong & Ye, Chengfang & Li, Mingxi & Shum, Wai Yan & Lai, Fujun, 2025. "Regional FinTech development and total factor productivity among firms: Evidence from China," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(PA).
    9. Guo, Pin & Zhang, Cheng, 2023. "The impact of bank FinTech on liquidity creation: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    10. Zhao, Yang & Goodell, John W. & Wang, Yong & Abedin, Mohammad Zoynul, 2023. "Fintech, macroprudential policies and bank risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    11. Pham, Dung Thi Ngoc, 2026. "The nonlinear fintech-financial stability nexus in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East: When institutional quality and financial efficiency matter," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    12. Debao Hu & Sibo Zhao & Fujun Yang, 2024. "Will fintech development increase commercial banks risk-taking? Evidence from China," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 37-67, March.
    13. Ngo, Xuan Thanh & Le, Kim-Anh & Nguyen, Thanh Trung & Nguyen, Khoa Dang, 2025. "Does FinTech curb bank risk-taking? Insights from an emerging economy," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PF).
    14. Liu, Haiming & Hu, Jikong, 2025. "Bank Fintech and firm leverage adjustment speed: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    15. Chen, Xiaojie & He, Guangwen & Li, Qian, 2024. "Can Fintech development improve the financial inclusion of village and township banks? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    16. Tang, Mengxuan & Hu, Yang & Corbet, Shaen & Hou, Yang (Greg) & Oxley, Les, 2024. "Fintech, bank diversification and liquidity: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    17. Tien Phat Pham & Drahomira Pavelkova & Boris Popesko & Sinh Duc Hoang & Hoc Thai Huynh, 2024. "Relationship between fintech by Google search and bank stock return: a case study of Vietnam," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 10(1), pages 1-25, December.
    18. Chen, Wen & Wu, Weili & Zhang, Tonghui, 2023. "Fintech development, firm digitalization, and bank loan pricing," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    19. Wan, Siyu & Lee, Yoong Hon & Sarma, Vengadeshvaran J., 2023. "Is Fintech good for green finance? Empirical evidence from listed banks in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1273-1291.
    20. Galeone, Graziana & Ranaldo, Simona & Fusco, Antonio, 2024. "ESG and FinTech: Are they connected?," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-05931-4. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/palcomms/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.