FinTech and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Electronic Payment Systems

Tut, Daniel (2020): FinTech and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Electronic Payment Systems.

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on financial institutions and consumers’ adoption of FinTech in payments. We find that the pandemic: [1] Initially had a negative impact on the adoption of FinTech, but favorable short-term regulatory changes have reversed some of the negative effects [2] The use of all electronic payment cards has significantly declined during the pandemic except for charge cards. We find an increase in the use of charge cards as consumers shift towards cheaper forms of payment [3] The pandemic has magnified interbank contagion and liquidity risks and has reduced both domestic and international electronic fund transfers via RTGS. The pandemic has also resulted in a deterioration in the quality of commercial banks’ assets and balance sheets [4] Remittance inflows via FinTech platforms have significantly declined reflecting contractions in global economic activities.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Covid-19, Coronavirus, Fintech, Mobile Payment, Central Banks, Financial Intermediaries, Financial Technologies, Banks, Interbank transfers, Diaspora Remittances, Settlement and Liquidity risks, clearing houses, financial stability, Pandemic, M-PESA, Digital Banking.
• Subjects: E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E3 - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles > E32 - Business Fluctuations ; Cycles; E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E5 - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit > E52 - Monetary Policy; E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E5 - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit > E58 - Central Banks and Their Policies; G - Financial Economics > G2 - Financial Institutions and Services > G21 - Banks ; Depository Institutions ; Micro Finance Institutions ; Mortgages; G - Financial Economics > G2 - Financial Institutions and Services > G28 - Government Policy and Regulation; G - Financial Economics > G3 - Corporate Finance and Governance > G32 - Financing Policy ; Financial Risk and Risk Management ; Capital and Ownership Structure ; Value of Firms ; Goodwill; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O16 - Financial Markets ; Saving and Capital Investment ; Corporate Finance and Governance; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O31 - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O32 - Management of Technological Innovation and R&D; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O33 - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences ; Diffusion Processes; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O3 - Innovation ; Research and Development ; Technological Change ; Intellectual Property Rights > O38 - Government Policy; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O5 - Economywide Country Studies > O55 - Africa

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