IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/inrvec/v71y2024i2d10.1007_s12232-024-00449-8.html

The dark side of the moon? Fintech and financial stability

Author

Listed:
  • Serhan Cevik

    (International Monetary Fund)

Abstract

Rapid advances in digital technology are revolutionizing the financial landscape. The rise of fintech has the potential to make financial systems more efficient and competitive and broaden financial inclusion. With greater technological complexity, however, fintech also poses potential systemic risks. In this paper, I use a novel dataset to trace the development of fintech (excluding cryptocurrencies) and empirically assess its impact on financial stability in a panel of 198 countries over the period 2012–2020. The analysis provides interesting insights into how fintech correlates with financial stability: (1) the impact magnitude and statistical significance of fintech depend on the type of instrument (digital lending vs. digital capital raising); (2) the overall effect of all fintech instruments together turns out to be negative because of the overwhelming share of digital lending in total, albeit statistically insignificant; and (3) while digital capital raising is estimated to have a positive effect on financial stability in advanced economies, its effect is negative in developing countries. Fintech is still small compared to traditional institutions, but rapidly expanding in riskier segments of the financial sector and creating new challenges for policymakers.

Suggested Citation

  • Serhan Cevik, 2024. "The dark side of the moon? Fintech and financial stability," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 71(2), pages 421-433, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:inrvec:v:71:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s12232-024-00449-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s12232-024-00449-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12232-024-00449-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12232-024-00449-8?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 look for a different version below or

    for a different version of it.

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mr. Nicola Pierri & Mr. Yannick Timmer, 2020. "Tech in Fin before FinTech: Blessing or Curse for Financial Stability?," IMF Working Papers 2020/014, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Frederic S. Mishkin, 1999. "Global Financial Instability: Framework, Events, Issues," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 13(4), pages 3-20, Fall.
    3. Beck, Thorsten & De Jonghe, Olivier & Schepens, Glenn, 2013. "Bank competition and stability: Cross-country heterogeneity," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 218-244.
    4. 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).
    5. Jiafu An & Raghavendra Rau, 2021. "Finance, technology and disruption," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4-5), pages 334-345, March.
    6. Daud, Siti Nurazira Mohd & Ahmad, Abd Halim & Khalid, Airil & Azman-Saini, W.N.W., 2022. "FinTech and financial stability: Threat or opportunity?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    7. Dynan, Karen E. & Elmendorf, Douglas W. & Sichel, Daniel E., 2006. "Can financial innovation help to explain the reduced volatility of economic activity?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 123-150, January.
    8. Gennaioli, Nicola & Shleifer, Andrei & Vishny, Robert, 2012. "Neglected risks, financial innovation, and financial fragility," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(3), pages 452-468.
    9. Christian Haddad & Lars Hornuf, 2023. "How do fintech start-ups affect financial institutions’ performance and default risk?," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(15), pages 1761-1792, October.
    10. Beck, Roland & Georgiadis, Georgios & Straub, Roland, 2014. "The finance and growth nexus revisited," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 124(3), pages 382-385.
    11. John C. Driscoll & Aart C. Kraay, 1998. "Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimation With Spatially Dependent Panel Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(4), pages 549-560, November.
    12. Beck, Thorsten & Chen, Tao & Lin, Chen & Song, Frank M., 2016. "Financial innovation: The bright and the dark sides," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 28-51.
    13. Caminal, Ramon & Matutes, Carmen, 2002. "Market power and banking failures," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 20(9), pages 1341-1361, November.
    14. Goetz, Martin R., 2018. "Competition and bank stability," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 35(PA), pages 57-69.
    15. Laeven, Luc & Levine, Ross, 2009. "Bank governance, regulation and risk taking," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(2), pages 259-275, August.
    16. Robert C. Merton, 1992. "Financial Innovation And Economic Performance," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 4(4), pages 12-22, January.
    17. Berger, Allen N, 2003. "The Economic Effects of Technological Progress: Evidence from the Banking Industry," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 35(2), pages 141-176, April.
    18. Stijn Claessens, 2009. "Competition in the Financial Sector: Overview of Competition Policies," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 24(1), pages 83-118, April.
    19. 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.
    20. Raghuram G. Rajan, 2006. "Has Finance Made the World Riskier?," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 12(4), pages 499-533, September.
    21. Laeven, Luc & Levine, Ross & Michalopoulos, Stelios, 2015. "Financial innovation and endogenous growth," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 1-24.
    22. Demirgüç-Kunt, Asli & Huizinga, Harry, 2010. "Bank activity and funding strategies: The impact on risk and returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(3), pages 626-650, December.
    23. Henderson, Brian J. & Pearson, Neil D., 2011. "The dark side of financial innovation: A case study of the pricing of a retail financial product," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 227-247, May.
    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. Elekdag, Selim & Emrullahu, Drilona & Ben Naceur, Sami, 2025. "Does FinTech Increase Bank Risk-taking?," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    2. Sikalao-Lekobane, Onneetse L., 2024. "Does FinTech credit enhance or disrupt financial stability?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    3. Li, Wenyi & Li, Tang & Shi, Wenhao & Long, Yuqing & Liu, Wenyu, 2025. "A protective shield for banks: How fintech curbs earnings manipulation through information transparency and financing constraints," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    4. Chen, Fu & Zhang, Weiwei & Li, Fangfang & Sun, Yongtai & Yu, Huiyuan, 2024. "Does fintech positively moderate the impact of mineral resources on green growth? Role of economic policy uncertainty in OECD economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    5. Sebai, Meriem & Talbi, Omar & Guerchi-Mehri, Hella, 2025. "Optimal financial inclusion for financial stability: Empirical insight from developing countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    6. Zhou, Zheng & Chau, Ka Yin & Sibghatullah, Amena & Moslehpour, Massoud & Tien, Nguyen Hoang & Nizomjon Shukurullaevich, Khajimuratov, 2024. "The role of green finance, environmental benefits, fintech development, and natural resource management in advancing sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    7. Wang, Weijia & Ni, He, 2025. "Financial connectedness in the digital age: The impact of regional FinTech development," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    8. Mohammed Othman, 2025. "Fintech and Sustainability: Charting a New Course for Jordanian Banking," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-23, June.

    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. Beck, Thorsten & Chen, Tao & Lin, Chen & Song, Frank M., 2016. "Financial innovation: The bright and the dark sides," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 28-51.
    2. Daud, Siti Nurazira Mohd & Ahmad, Abd Halim & Khalid, Airil & Azman-Saini, W.N.W., 2022. "FinTech and financial stability: Threat or opportunity?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    3. Cuadros-Solas, Pedro J. & Cubillas, Elena & Salvador, Carlos & Suárez, Nuria, 2024. "Digital disruptors at the gate. Does FinTech lending affect bank market power and stability?," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    4. Tamer Khraisha & Keren Arthur, 2018. "Can we have a general theory of financial innovation processes? A conceptual review," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 4(1), pages 1-27, December.
    5. Hamid Mohtadi & Stefan Ruediger, 2014. "Volatility and Transparency of Financial Markets in the MENA Region," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 173-195, March.
    6. Mehmet Balcilar & Riza Demirer, 2014. "The Effect of Global Shocks and Volatility on Herd Behavior in Borsa Istanbul," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 142-172, March.
    7. Fabian Kuehnhausen, 2014. "The Impact of Financial Innovation on Firm Stability," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 211-239, March.
    8. 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).
    9. Suleyman Hilmi Kal & Nuran Arslaner & Ferhat Arslaner, 2014. "Inflation Dynamics and Business Cycles," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 121-129, March.
    10. Sikalao-Lekobane, Onneetse L., 2024. "Does FinTech credit enhance or disrupt financial stability?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    11. Hasan Cömert & Gerald Epstein, 2016. "Finansal Yenilik Yazinindaki Son Gelismeler," STPS Working Papers 1604, STPS - Science and Technology Policy Studies Center, Middle East Technical University, revised Jan 2016.
    12. Guzin Gulsun Akin & Ahmet Faruk Aysan & Gültekin Gollu & Levent Yildiran, 2014. "Formal and Informal Regulations for Credit Card Payment Services," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 1-33, March.
    13. Antonina Waszczuk, 2014. "Assembling International Equity Datasets – Review of Studies on the Cross-Section of Common Stocks," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 34-65, March.
    14. Sezer Bozkus Kahyaoglu & M. Vedat Pazarlioglu, 2014. "Hedging Strategy for Electricity Market Price Volatility: The Case of Turkish Electricity Market," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 196-210, March.
    15. Ahmet Duran & Burhaneddin Izgi, 2014. "Comovement and Polarization of Interest Rate and Stock Market in Turkey," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 130-141, March.
    16. Ege Yazgan, 2014. "The effect of investors' confidence on monetary policy- economic growth relationship: a Multivariate GARCH approach," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 82-109, March.
    17. Orhan Erdem & Evren Arik & Serkan Yuksel, 2014. "Trading Puzzle," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 66-81, March.
    18. Sadettin Haluk Citci, 2014. "Agency and Transparency in Financial Markets," BIFEC Book of Abstracts & Proceedings, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 1(2), pages 110-120, March.
    19. Chen, Minghua & Wu, Ji & Jeon, Bang Nam & Wang, Rui, 2017. "Monetary policy and bank risk-taking: Evidence from emerging economies," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 116-140.
    20. Beck, Thorsten & Carletti, Elena & Goldstein, Itay, 2016. "Financial Regulation in Europe: Foundations and Challenges," CEPR Discussion Papers 11147, Centre for Economic Policy Research.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    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:spr:inrvec:v:71:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s12232-024-00449-8. 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: http://www.springer.com .

    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.