Fintech and Banking: What Do We Know?

Abstract

This paper is a review of the literature on fintech and its interaction with banking. Included in fintech are innovations in payment systems (including cryptocurrencies), credit markets (including P2P lending), and insurance, with blockchain-assisted smart contracts playing a role. The paper provides a definition of fintech, examines some statistics and stylized facts, and then reviews the theoretical and empirical literature. The review is organized around four main research questions. The paper summarizes our knowledge on these questions and concludes with questions for future research.

Keywords: fintech, cryptocurrencies, P2P lending, banking, systemic risk

JEL Classification: G21, G22, G23, G24