Debt: a human economy perspective

Anette Broløs, Erin B. Taylor, Jillet Sarah Sam and Shriram Venkatraman

Chapter 9 in Digital Human Finance, 2026, pp 140-157 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Like gift-giving, debt is also an exchange practice with a long history involving monetary and non-monetary forms. Its digitization has transformed the design and use of debt instruments, which has altered how people borrow and lend, reconfigured debt-related financial practices and impacted social relations, trust mechanisms and cultural norms surrounding this form of exchange. Digital debt instruments have also been deployed to extend financial inclusion, increasing creditors’ reach and customers’ access to loans. Debt can now be accessed through multiple digital and non-digital platforms, including mobile money, formal banking platforms, payment platforms, neobanking platforms, peer-to-peer lending platforms or even quick loan and lending platforms, in addition to several informal lending practices through generic digital payment platforms across the globe in diverse contexts. Understanding how debt is dispersed, calculated and utilized via DFS is crucial for comprehending its broader implications within people's lives. This chapter examines the conceptualization and utilization of debt in DFS, exploring how they work and their socio-cultural impact. We present three illustrative cases as examples.

Keywords: BNPL; Credit Scoring; Debt; Lending Platforms; Trust (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035344925
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