Financial technology has propelled India's financial sector to international acclaim. The rise of the digital economy has played a crucial role in fueling the nation's ongoing economic growth and prosperity. Using the CRITIC approach, this report thoroughly analyses FinTech and digital economy metrics in all 28 states of India from 2010 to 2022. A thorough analysis of this data uncovers the complex relationships and interactions between FinTech and the digital economy. The findings clearly demonstrate the significant impact of FinTech on India's digital economy. One important result of this impact is the progress of technological advancements, along with a decrease in the financial independence of local governments. In addition, the study reveals a fascinating finding: the influence of FinTech on the growth of the digital economy is enhanced by the existence of local financial regulatory mechanisms. By strengthening regulatory resources, FinTech plays a crucial role in promoting the development of the digital economy, especially in economically advanced regions. This research utilizes a cutting-edge methodology to unravel these intricate phenomena, providing new perspectives on the interaction between FinTech and the digital economy.
Notwithstanding past trade reforms, trade in Africa and particularly intra-Africa trade, remain dismal. Africa has even created economic communities, fitted with monetary, fiscal, and socio-political anchors, by way of various Regional Economic Communities (RECs) – now reflected by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Whilst these have yielded marginal benefits, the persistence of low intra-Africa trade calls into question their suitability. Focused on the realities of institutions targeted by these reforms and Africa's context – i.e., weak linkages between institutions, high informality, and low social capital – we posit that reforms have not elicited the hoped-for high intra-Africa trade because of their near total reliance on the neo-liberal approach, which neglects Africa's context. Drawing on Africa's sociology and new institutional economics, we use a conceptual institutional analysis to evolve a political economy based framework that suggests potential solutions: Linking the formal sector that currently underpins economic/trade policies to the informal institutions that are reflective of Africa's norms, values, cultures and expectations (the informal sector), and scaling up production; via the cooperatives production model, strategic procurement mandates, and effectuation of continental transportation infrastructure network, are our recommended pathways to reversing the current dismal intra-continental trade.
The world is undergoing major changes unseen in a century. The profound and complex changes in the international trade landscape since China's accession to the WTO have put China's foreign trade enterprises to the test as they have embarked on a path of transformation and upgrade. As a barometer of China's foreign trade sector, Yiwu has progressed through three stages of development: rapid development after China's WTO accession, adaptation and innovation following the global financial crisis, and coordinated development amid deepening reforms. This paper explores such an evolutionary journey from the perspectives of foreign trade, market development, logistics infrastructure, export modalities, policy support, and the trade environment.
The study investigates the macroeconomic determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in emerging economies in turbulent times, taking the case of COVID’19 pandemic. Fifteen (15) countries were included for empirical investigations and the period of investigation spans 2019q1–2023q2 and the analytical framework is the Wang and Wong (2007) model. With recourse to various data stability tests, the panel system generalized method of moment is adopted as the technique of analysis to obtain optimal identification solution and address inherent problems of endogeneity and heterogeneity in estimations. For robustness, the sample was decomposed into two; emerging economies with history of high and low FDI receipts respectively. The results obtained show the sensitivity of macroeconomic determinants to these disaggregation and that lag counterparts of these variables play significant roles. The results further suggests that FDI is a substitute for real gross domestic product in emerging economies with history of high FDI receipts.
This study aims to investigate the factors that affect the electronic payment behavior of Vietnamese consumers. The primary focus is on identifying the challenges that consumers encounter when using e-payment methods.
The research employed multivariate regression models and conducted various data reliability tests, such as exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, analysis of variance, rotation matrix, and correlation coefficient tests. A total of 318 respondents completed a self-report questionnaire after disqualifying 10 invalid responses. Subsequently, the collected data were subjected to further statistical analysis.
The study's findings revealed a strong correlation between various factors and electronic payment behavior, with correlation percentages at a 1% significance level of 74.3%, 56.9%, 47.2%, 54.6%, and 82.4%. The data showed high reliability, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.893.
The practical results of this research will assist micro- and macro-managers in comprehending e-payment behavior and devising effective strategies to entice customers.
This paper studies how the Ukrainian Crisis and Geopolitical Risk impact the trade and investment of Transnational Corporations (TNCs). This impact includes three levels. The first level is the direct impact of geopolitical risks on TNCs, including TNCs' market response to Russia and the trend of supply chain adjustment. The second level is the impact of geopolitical risks on national governments, including the response of developed countries such as the United States and Europe, as well as emerging economies such as India; countries formulate policies and measures to deal with the challenges of geopolitical risks and further promote national economic and social development, seeking channels and ways to improve the level of national security. The third level is the impact of geopolitical risks on international organizations, especially the WTO.
Recognizing the critical significance of environmental preservation, this paper investigates the intricate relationship between higher education and environmental pollution in MENA countries from 2000 to 2018. The analysis incorporates three control variables: the globalization index, population, and gross domestic product (GDP). Employing a comprehensive methodology that includes panel unit root tests, Kao cointegration test, fixed effect GLS, fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS). As main results, we first found using GLS that higher education, globalization, and GDP per capita positively impact CO2 emissions in the MENA region. Subsequently, using FMOLS and DOLS, we found that except for GDP per capita, all other variables play a key role in mitigating CO2 emissions in the long run, thus validating the KURZNETS curve hypothesis for education and challenging it for economic growth in the MENA countries. Given the existing results, this study provides significant recommendations for policymakers and governments to reduce CO2 emissions.