IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/arx/papers/2201.09221.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The rise of digital finance: Financial inclusion or debt trap

Author

Listed:
  • Pengpeng Yue
  • Aslihan Gizem Korkmaz
  • Zhichao Yin
  • Haigang Zhou

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact of digital finance on households. While digital finance has brought financial inclusion, it has also increased the risk of households falling into a debt trap. We provide evidence that supports this notion and explain the channel through which digital finance increases the likelihood of financial distress. Our results show that the widespread use of digital finance increases credit market participation. The broadened access to credit markets increases household consumption by changing the marginal propensity to consume. However, the easier access to credit markets also increases the risk of households falling into a debt trap.

Suggested Citation

  • Pengpeng Yue & Aslihan Gizem Korkmaz & Zhichao Yin & Haigang Zhou, 2022. "The rise of digital finance: Financial inclusion or debt trap," Papers 2201.09221, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2201.09221
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://arxiv.org/pdf/2201.09221
    File Function: Latest version
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrei A. Levchenko, 2005. "Financial Liberalization and Consumption Volatility in Developing Countries," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 52(2), pages 237-259, September.
    2. Yang, Junhong & Wu, Yu & Huang, Bihong, 2020. "Digital Finance and Financial Literacy: An Empirical Investigation of Chinese Households," ADBI Working Papers 1209, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    3. Tal Gross & Matthew J. Notowidigdo & Jialan Wang, 2020. "The Marginal Propensity to Consume over the Business Cycle," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 351-384, April.
    4. Liu, Liu & Zhang, Hua, 2021. "Financial literacy, self-efficacy and risky credit behavior among college students: Evidence from online consumer credit," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C).
    5. Jianguo Xu, 2017. "China's Internet Finance: A Critical Review," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 25(4), pages 78-92, July.
    6. Marjorie A. Flavin, 1984. "Excess Sensitivity of Consumption to Current Income: Liquidity Constraints or Myopia?," NBER Working Papers 1341, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Samaratunge, Ramanie & Kumara, Ajantha Sisira & Abeysekera, Lakmal, 2020. "Breaking the Perverse Health-debt Cycle in Sri Lanka: Policy Options," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 728-745.
    8. Zhong, Weiqiang & Jiang, Tingfeng, 2021. "Can internet finance alleviate the exclusiveness of traditional finance? evidence from Chinese P2P lending markets," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    9. Rizwan Mushtaq & Catherine Bruneau, 2019. "Microfinance, financial inclusion and ICT: Implications for poverty and inequality," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-03452826, HAL.
    10. Biyun Ren & Liuying Li & Hongmei Zhao & Yunbo Zhou, 2018. "The Financial Exclusion In The Development Of Digital Finance — A Study Based On Survey Data In The Jingjinji Rural Area," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 63(01), pages 65-82, March.
    11. Atif Mian & Amir Sufi, 2011. "House Prices, Home Equity-Based Borrowing, and the US Household Leverage Crisis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2132-2156, August.
    12. Rizwan Mushtaq & Catherine Bruneau, 2019. "Microfinance, financial inclusion and ICT: Implications for poverty and inequality," Post-Print hal-03452826, HAL.
    13. Georgios A. Panos & John O. S. Wilson, 2020. "Financial literacy and responsible finance in the FinTech era: capabilities and challenges," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(4-5), pages 297-301, March.
    14. Li, Jie & Wu, Yu & Xiao, Jing Jian, 2020. "The impact of digital finance on household consumption: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 317-326.
    15. Zhiqiang Lu & Junjie Wu & Hongyu Li & Duc Khuong Nguyen, 2022. "Local Bank, Digital Financial Inclusion and SME Financing Constraints: Empirical Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(6), pages 1712-1725, May.
    16. William Jack & Tavneet Suri, 2014. "Risk Sharing and Transactions Costs: Evidence from Kenya's Mobile Money Revolution," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(1), pages 183-223, January.
    17. Feng, Xiangnan & Lu, Bin & Song, Xinyuan & Ma, Shuang, 2019. "Financial literacy and household finances: A Bayesian two-part latent variable modeling approach," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 119-137.
    18. Yiping Huang & Xu Wang, 2017. "Building an Efficient Financial System in China: A Need for Stronger Market Discipline," Asian Economic Policy Review, Japan Center for Economic Research, vol. 12(2), pages 188-205, July.
    19. Farag, Hisham & Johan, Sofia, 2021. "How alternative finance informs central themes in corporate finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    20. Beck, Thorsten & Pamuk, Haki & Ramrattan, Ravindra & Uras, Burak R., 2018. "Payment instruments, finance and development," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 162-186.
    21. Gong, Qiang & Liu, Chong & Peng, Qianni & Wang, Luying, 2020. "Will CEOs with banking experience lower default risks? Evidence from P2P lending platforms in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 36(C).
    22. Asli Demirguc-Kunt & Leora Klapper, 2013. "Measuring Financial Inclusion: Explaining Variation in Use of Financial Services across and within Countries," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 44(1 (Spring), pages 279-340.
    23. Fredric S. Mishkin & Philip E. Strahan, 1999. "What Will Technology Do to Financial Structure?," NBER Working Papers 6892, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    24. Mushtaq, Rizwan & Bruneau, Catherine, 2019. "Microfinance, financial inclusion and ICT: Implications for poverty and inequality," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    25. Morshadul Hasan & Thi Le & Ariful Hoque, 2021. "How does financial literacy impact on inclusive finance?," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 1-23, December.
    26. Rongda Chen & Huiwen Chen & Chenglu Jin & Bo Wei & Lean Yu, 2020. "Linkages and Spillovers between Internet Finance and Traditional Finance: Evidence from China," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(6), pages 1196-1210, May.
    27. Hodula, Martin, 2022. "Does Fintech credit substitute for traditional credit? Evidence from 78 countries," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    28. Asli Demirguc-Kunt & Leora Klapper, 2013. "Measuring Financial Inclusion: Explaining Variation in Use of Financial Services across and within Countries," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 46(1 (Spring), pages 279-340.
    29. Daniela Gabor & Sally Brooks, 2017. "The digital revolution in financial inclusion: international development in the fintech era," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 423-436, July.
    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. Kai Zhao & Jiaqi Yang & Wanshu Wu, 2023. "Impacts of Digital Economy on Urban Entrepreneurial Competencies: A Spatial and Nonlinear Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, May.
    2. Zhou, Jun & Yin, Zhichao & Yue, Pengpeng, 2023. "The impact of access to credit on energy efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    3. Guo, Xiaohong & Tu, Yongqian, 2023. "How digital finance affects carbon intensity–The moderating role of financial supervision," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    4. Siqi Huang & Nik Hadiyan Nik Azman, 2023. "Enhancing Food Security through Digital Inclusive Finance: Evidence from Agricultural Enterprises in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-20, February.
    5. Wang, Jianqiu & Yin, Zhichao & Jiang, Jialing, 2023. "The effect of the digital divide on household consumption in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    6. Haibo Lei & Qin Su, 2023. "Does the Use of Digital Finance Affect Household Farmland Transfer-Out?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-18, August.
    7. Krzysztof Waliszewski & Ewa Cichowicz & £ukasz Gêbski & Filip Kliber & Jakub Kubiczek & Pawe³ Niedzió³ka & Ma³gorzata Solarz & Anna Warchlewska, 2023. "The role of the Lendtech sector in the consumer credit market in the context of household financial exclusion," Oeconomia Copernicana, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 14(2), pages 609-643, June.
    8. Chong, Zhaohui & Wei, Xiaolin, 2023. "Exploring the spatial linkage network of peer-to-peer lending in China," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 630(C).
    9. Wu, Bangzheng & Yue, Pengpeng & Zuo, Shengqiang, 2023. "Borrow to be the poor or the rich? It depends: Credit market and wealth accumulation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 804-821.
    10. He, Hui & Shi, Wei, 2023. "Enterprise litigation risk and enterprise performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    11. Shoufu Yang & Hanhui Zhao & Yiming Chen & Zitian Fu & Chaohao Sun & Tsangyao Chang, 2023. "The Impact of Digital Enterprise Agglomeration on Carbon Intensity: A Study Based on the Extended Spatial STIRPAT Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-33, June.
    12. Choung, Youngjoo & Chatterjee, Swarn & Pak, Tae-Young, 2023. "Digital Financial Literacy and Financial Well-Being," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue Journal P, pages 1-1.
    13. Yuting Shi & Qiuwang Cheng & Yizhen Wu & Qiaohua Lin & Anxin Xu & Qiujin Zheng, 2023. "Promoting or Inhibiting? Digital Inclusive Finance and Cultural Consumption of Rural Residents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-21, February.
    14. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Lou, Runchi & Wang, Fuhao, 2023. "Digital financial inclusion and poverty alleviation: Evidence from the sustainable development of China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 418-434.
    15. Sun, Yang & Tang, Xinwei, 2022. "The impact of digital inclusive finance on sustainable economic growth in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    16. Hang Li & Huiming Jiang, 2023. "Effect of the Digital Economy on Farmers’ Household Income: County-Level Panel Data for Jilin Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-15, March.
    17. Yangjie Liao & Xiaokun Zhou, 2023. "Can Digital Finance Contribute to Agricultural Carbon Reduction? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-20, November.
    18. Hu, Debao & Zhai, Chenzhe & Zhao, Sibo, 2023. "Does digital finance promote household consumption upgrading? An analysis based on data from the China family panel studies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    19. Yang, Baochen & Chen, Fengrui, 2023. "The financialization of nonfinancial companies in China: A macroeconomic perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    20. Kodongo, Odongo, 2023. "Does the fintech ecosystem promote effective financial inclusion in Kenya?," KBA Centre for Research on Financial Markets and Policy Working Paper Series 70, Kenya Bankers Association (KBA).
    21. Ye, Xiang & Yue, Pengpeng, 2023. "Financial literacy and household energy efficiency: An analysis of credit market and supply chain," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    22. Wei Yu & Huiqin Huang & Xinyan Kong & Keying Zhu, 2023. "Can Digital Inclusive Finance Improve the Financial Performance of SMEs?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, January.
    23. Wei Yu & Huiqin Huang & Keying Zhu, 2023. "Enhancing Construction Enterprise Financial Performance through Digital Inclusive Finance: An Insight into Supply Chain Finance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-16, June.
    24. Jun Zhou & Zhichao Yin & Pengpeng Yue, 2022. "The impact of access to credit on energy efficiency," Papers 2211.08871, arXiv.org.

    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. Yue, Pengpeng & Korkmaz, Aslihan Gizem & Yin, Zhichao & Zhou, Haigang, 2022. "The rise of digital finance: Financial inclusion or debt trap?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    2. Asongu, Simplice A. & Biekpe, Nicholas & Cassimon, Danny, 2021. "On the diffusion of mobile phone innovations for financial inclusion," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    3. Hewa Wellalage, Nirosha & Hunjra, Ahmed Imran & Manita, Riadh & Locke, Stuart M., 2021. "Information communication technology and financial inclusion of innovative entrepreneurs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    4. David Damiyano & Stephen Mago, 2023. "An Analysis of the Impact of Financial Inclusion on Poverty and Development: Case of SACU Countries," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 13(6), pages 141-147, November.
    5. Shijun Chai & Li Zhou & Yang Chen, 2023. "Digital Finance and Entrepreneurial Return Rate: Effects, Mechanisms and Inequality," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, October.
    6. Saibal Ghosh, 2020. "Financial Inclusion in India: Does Distance Matter?," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 21(2), pages 216-238, September.
    7. Antonella Francesca Cicchiello & Amirreza Kazemikhasragh & Stefano Monferrá & Alicia Girón, 2021. "Financial inclusion and development in the least developed countries in Asia and Africa," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13, December.
    8. Xue Wang, 2020. "Mobile Payment and Informal Business: Evidence from China's Household Panel Data," China & World Economy, Institute of World Economics and Politics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 28(3), pages 90-115, May.
    9. Gallego-Losada, María-Jesús & Montero-Navarro, Antonio & García-Abajo, Elisa & Gallego-Losada, Rocío, 2023. "Digital financial inclusion. Visualizing the academic literature," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    10. Lv, Chengchao & Song, Jie & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "Can digital finance narrow the regional disparities in the quality of economic growth? Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 502-521.
    11. Munacinga Simatele & Loyiso Maciko, 2022. "Financial Inclusion in Rural South Africa: A Qualitative Approach," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-22, August.
    12. Khan, Muhammad Zubair & Khan, Zafir Ullah & Hameed, Affan & Zada, Shehnaz Sahib, 2021. "On the upside or flipside: Where is venture capital positioned in the era of digital disruptions?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    13. Guo, Xiaoxin & Zhong, Shihu, 2023. "Unintended consequences: How does digital inclusive finance affect migrants' urban settlement intentions?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    14. Liu, Aiping & Urquía-Grande, Elena & López-Sánchez, Pilar & Rodríguez-López, Ángel, 2023. "Research into microfinance and ICTs: A bibliometric analysis," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    15. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Lou, Runchi & Wang, Fuhao, 2023. "Digital financial inclusion and poverty alleviation: Evidence from the sustainable development of China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 418-434.
    16. Zhang, Jiaping & Zhang, Huirong & Gong, Xiaomei, 2022. "Mobile payment and rural household consumption: Evidence from China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(3).
    17. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Chen, Pei-Fen & Chu, Pin-Jie, 2023. "Green recovery through financial inclusion of mobile payment: A study of low- and middle-income Asian countries," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 729-747.
    18. Zhao, Chunkai & Wu, Yaqian & Guo, Jianhao, 2022. "Mobile payment and Chinese rural household consumption," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    19. Sun, Yanan & You, Xiaotong, 2023. "Do digital inclusive finance, innovation, and entrepreneurship activities stimulate vitality of the urban economy? Empirical evidence from the Yangtze River Delta, China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    20. Huang, Hongyun & Mbanyele, William & Fan, Shuangshuang & Zhao, Xin, 2022. "Digital financial inclusion and energy-environment performance: What can learn from China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 342-366.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:arx:papers:2201.09221. 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: arXiv administrators (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://arxiv.org/ .

    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.