The impact of information and communication technologies on banks, credit, and savings: an examination of Brazil

Flavia Alves

No 1174, BIS Working Papers from Bank for International Settlements

Abstract: How do "Information and Communication Technologies" (ICTs) reshape the banking industry and banking habits? Using panel data containing detailed banking statements for more than 25,000 public and private bank branches distributed among over 3,500 municipalities of Brazil, I show that, following the rollout of the 4G mobile network, 6% of private banks exit the municipalities while their branches shrink on average 11% within five years of the introduction of this technology compared to municipalities that do not have it. By contrast, public banks are not reactive to better mobile connectivity. Credit, savings, and deposits also display different patterns in response to better mobile network in public and private banks. Globally, these results suggest that the internet has been deeply reshaping the banking industry and modifying how credit and savings are distributed to the population with different levels of internet access, with important policy implications for both the industry and consumers.

Keywords: ICT; internet; 4G mobile network; banks; credit; savings; financial inclusion; competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D14 G21 G40 L10 L86 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ban, nep-fdg, nep-ict and nep-pay
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