The Real Effects of FinTech Lending on SMEs: Evidence from Loan Applications

54 Pages Posted: 4 Mar 2021 Last revised: 4 Nov 2022

See all articles by Afonso Eca

Afonso Eca

Nova School of Business and Economics

Miguel A. Ferreira

Nova School of Business and Economics; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Melissa Porras Prado

Nova School of Business and Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Antonino Emanuele Rizzo

Nova School of Business and Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: March 3, 2021

Abstract

We examine the effects of FinTech lending on firm policies using proprietary data on loan applications and loans granted from a peer-to-business platform. We find that FinTech serves high quality and creditworthy small businesses who already have access to bank credit. Firms access FinTech to obtain long-term unsecured loans and reduce their exposure to banks with less liquid assets, stable funds, and capital. We find that firms with access to FinTech loans significantly increase investment, employment, and sales growth relative to firms that get their loan application rejected. We identify these effects by exploiting the number of banks in each municipality as a source of exogenous variation in the probability of obtaining a FinTech loan. Our findings suggest that FinTech allows firms to improve their financial flexibility and reduce bank dependence.

Keywords: FinTech, SMEs, Peer-to-Business lending, Small business lending

JEL Classification: G21, G23, O33

Suggested Citation

Eca, Afonso and Ferreira, Miguel Almeida and Porras Prado, Melissa and Rizzo, Antonino Emanuele, The Real Effects of FinTech Lending on SMEs: Evidence from Loan Applications (March 3, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3796896 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3796896

Afonso Eca

Nova School of Business and Economics ( email )

Campus de Carcavelos
Rua da Holanda, 1
Carcavelos, 2775-405
Portugal

Miguel Almeida Ferreira

Nova School of Business and Economics ( email )

Campus de Carcavelos
Rua da Holanda, 1
Carcavelos, 2775-405
Portugal

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

Melissa Porras Prado (Contact Author)

Nova School of Business and Economics ( email )

Campus de Carcavelos
Rua da Holanda 1
Carcavelos, 2775-405
Portugal

Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) ( email )

London
United Kingdom

Antonino Emanuele Rizzo

Nova School of Business and Economics ( email )

Campus de Carcavelos
Rua da Holanda, 1
Carcavelos, 2775-405
Portugal

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