Mapping the disaggregated economy in real-time: using granular payment network data to complement national accounts

Kerstin Hötte

Economic Systems Research, 2025, vol. 37, issue 3, 427-454

Abstract: In an era of rapid change, timely and disaggregated economic insights are crucial for effective policymaking. This study explores the potential of real-time payment data to complement traditional economic measurement. Using anonymised UK business payments from 2015 to 2023, we analysed inter-industry financial flows at a granular 5-digit SIC level and systematically compared them with established economic indicators, such as GDP and input-output tables (IOTs). Our findings show strong correlations with GDP and qualitative consistency with official IOTs, highlighting the value of the novel high-frequency data for real-time economic monitoring. We benchmarked network statistics at the 5-digit level, showing how industry-specific payment structures align with stylised facts from the empirical economic network literature. While outlining methodological and interpretative challenges, we discuss the integration of such bottom-up data into national accounts. This work contributes to ongoing efforts to advance economic measurement and offers tools for tracking economic dynamics in real time.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/09535314.2025.2518944

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