Financial technology and financial capability: Study of the European Union

Abstract

Enhancing household financial capability is critical for mitigating severe economic challenges. In the European Union (EU), financial technology (FinTech) solutions are considered critical for managing household finance, but their role in enhancing financial capability is ambiguous. Herein, we measure financial capability in the EU and investigate the effect of FinTech using three waves of panel data from Global Findex (2014, 2017, and 2021) and Eurostat Databases. According to the analyses, EU countries vary greatly in terms of FinTech and financial capability, with countries in the Union's north scoring remarkably high. Results emphasize a considerable effect of FinTech on financial capability and highlight an increase in the latter when the Human Development Index increases. Practical guidelines for measuring financial capability are also presented to assist countries that requier additional efforts to effectively address financial capability challenges.