Pub Date : 2025-11-08DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102073
Igor Martins , Hedibert Freitas Lopes
This paper expands on stochastic volatility models by proposing a data-driven method to select the macroeconomic events most likely to impact volatility. The paper identifies and quantifies the effects of macroeconomic events across multiple countries on exchange rate volatility using high-frequency currency returns, while accounting for persistent stochastic volatility effects and seasonal components capturing time-of-day patterns. Given the hundreds of macroeconomic announcements and their lags, we rely on sparsity-based methods to select relevant events for the model. We contribute to the exchange rate literature in four ways: First, we identify the macroeconomic events that drive currency volatility, estimate their effects and connect them to macroeconomic fundamentals. Second, we find a link between intraday seasonality, trading volume, and the opening hours of major markets across the globe. We provide a simple labor-based explanation for this observed pattern. Third, we show that including macroeconomic events and seasonal components is crucial for forecasting exchange rate volatility. Fourth, our proposed model yields the lowest volatility and highest Sharpe ratio in portfolio allocations when compared to standard SV and GARCH models.
{"title":"What events matter for exchange rate volatility?","authors":"Igor Martins , Hedibert Freitas Lopes","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102073","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102073","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper expands on stochastic volatility models by proposing a data-driven method to select the macroeconomic events most likely to impact volatility. The paper identifies and quantifies the effects of macroeconomic events across multiple countries on exchange rate volatility using high-frequency currency returns, while accounting for persistent stochastic volatility effects and seasonal components capturing time-of-day patterns. Given the hundreds of macroeconomic announcements and their lags, we rely on sparsity-based methods to select relevant events for the model. We contribute to the exchange rate literature in four ways: First, we identify the macroeconomic events that drive currency volatility, estimate their effects and connect them to macroeconomic fundamentals. Second, we find a link between intraday seasonality, trading volume, and the opening hours of major markets across the globe. We provide a simple labor-based explanation for this observed pattern. Third, we show that including macroeconomic events and seasonal components is crucial for forecasting exchange rate volatility. Fourth, our proposed model yields the lowest volatility and highest Sharpe ratio in portfolio allocations when compared to standard SV and GARCH models.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102073"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102075
I-Ling Chen , Chia-Chien Chang
This study analyzes the short- and long-term relationships between total ESG score (TESG), their pillars, and corporate credit risk in Taiwan's traditional industries using a panel autoregressive distributed lag model. The results show a stable long-term link between TESG and credit risk, with TESG reducing long-term risk but having no short-term effect. This suggests that ESG performance has an indirect, delayed short-term effect, but effective ESG risk management improves long-term credit risk. Environmental investments lower short-term credit risk, whereas corporate governance enhances long-term stability. In the livelihood and chemical industries, TESG influences long-term credit risk, with governance playing a key role, which is consistent with the full sample results. In the chemical sector, ESG pillars reduce long-term credit risk, but only environmental factors impact short-term risk, suggesting that firms prioritize environmental management for sustainable development and credit risk management.
{"title":"Short- and long-term effects of ESG pillars on credit risk","authors":"I-Ling Chen , Chia-Chien Chang","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102075","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102075","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study analyzes the short- and long-term relationships between total ESG score (TESG), their pillars, and corporate credit risk in Taiwan's traditional industries using a panel autoregressive distributed lag model. The results show a stable long-term link between TESG and credit risk, with TESG reducing long-term risk but having no short-term effect. This suggests that ESG performance has an indirect, delayed short-term effect, but effective ESG risk management improves long-term credit risk. Environmental investments lower short-term credit risk, whereas corporate governance enhances long-term stability. In the livelihood and chemical industries, TESG influences long-term credit risk, with governance playing a key role, which is consistent with the full sample results. In the chemical sector, ESG pillars reduce long-term credit risk, but only environmental factors impact short-term risk, suggesting that firms prioritize environmental management for sustainable development and credit risk management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102075"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145465849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-30DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102072
Werley Cordeiro , João F. Caldeira , Guilherme V. Moura
This paper presents a model of the term structure of interest rates that incorporates expectations regarding macroeconomic data to capture yield dynamics, while also accounting for time-varying volatility. Our findings demonstrate that including survey data on market participants’ expectations significantly improves the out-of-sample forecasting performance of the model, as shown by statistical measures of predictive accuracy. Furthermore, we assess the economic value of yield curve predictability through a portfolio allocation exercise. The results indicate that considering time-varying yield volatility is crucial and significantly enhances the economic relevance of forecasts, regardless of the level of risk aversion assumed.
{"title":"Forecasting the Brazilian yield curve using macroeconomics expectations and time-varying volatility","authors":"Werley Cordeiro , João F. Caldeira , Guilherme V. Moura","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102072","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102072","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents a model of the term structure of interest rates that incorporates expectations regarding macroeconomic data to capture yield dynamics, while also accounting for time-varying volatility. Our findings demonstrate that including survey data on market participants’ expectations significantly improves the out-of-sample forecasting performance of the model, as shown by statistical measures of predictive accuracy. Furthermore, we assess the economic value of yield curve predictability through a portfolio allocation exercise. The results indicate that considering time-varying yield volatility is crucial and significantly enhances the economic relevance of forecasts, regardless of the level of risk aversion assumed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102072"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-26DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102070
Jauling Tseng
This study investigates the influence and quantile differences of key variables on crowdfunding campaign fundraising volumes by using data from 73,146 campaigns across major global platforms in developed, developing, and emerging crowdfunding markets from 2012 to 2017. The results indicate that campaigns with lower funding targets, longer financing periods, more social media followers, backers, photos, and comments, more frequent updates and past successful experiences, and fewer past failure experiences are significantly more likely to succeed. Additionally, campaigns with longer financing periods, more social media followers, backers, comments, frequent updates, and past successful experiences, and fewer past failure experiences are likely to raise higher fundraising volumes. Moreover, campaigns in developed crowdfunding markets are significantly more likely to succeed and raise large volumes of funds compared with those in developing markets, whereas those in emerging markets are more likely to succeed but raise lower volumes of funds than those in developing markets. Finally, for campaigns in the highest 90th quantile of successful funding volumes, improvements in campaign variables lead to greater marginal increases in funding volumes compared with those in the lowest 10th quantile, highlighting substantial quantile differences and unequal effects across funding levels. This study provides insights that can guide start-ups and policymakers in developing effective crowdfunding strategies and policies, thereby promoting the healthy development of crowdfunding markets and improving financial inclusion.
{"title":"Factors and quantile differences influencing funding volumes of successful crowdfunding campaigns on reward-based platforms in developed, developing, and emerging crowdfunding markets","authors":"Jauling Tseng","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102070","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102070","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the influence and quantile differences of key variables on crowdfunding campaign fundraising volumes by using data from 73,146 campaigns across major global platforms in developed, developing, and emerging crowdfunding markets from 2012 to 2017. The results indicate that campaigns with lower funding targets, longer financing periods, more social media followers, backers, photos, and comments, more frequent updates and past successful experiences, and fewer past failure experiences are significantly more likely to succeed. Additionally, campaigns with longer financing periods, more social media followers, backers, comments, frequent updates, and past successful experiences, and fewer past failure experiences are likely to raise higher fundraising volumes. Moreover, campaigns in developed crowdfunding markets are significantly more likely to succeed and raise large volumes of funds compared with those in developing markets, whereas those in emerging markets are more likely to succeed but raise lower volumes of funds than those in developing markets. Finally, for campaigns in the highest 90th quantile of successful funding volumes, improvements in campaign variables lead to greater marginal increases in funding volumes compared with those in the lowest 10th quantile, highlighting substantial quantile differences and unequal effects across funding levels. This study provides insights that can guide start-ups and policymakers in developing effective crowdfunding strategies and policies, thereby promoting the healthy development of crowdfunding markets and improving financial inclusion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102070"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-25DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102066
Kyoung-Hun Bae , Peter Dixon , Eun-Jung Lee
We study whether a subset of high-frequency traders, which we refer to as opportunistic high-frequency traders, systematically anticipate and trade around individual large trades to profit from their price impact. The trading patterns we document, using account-level transaction data from the Korean Stock Exchange, are consistent with opportunistic high-frequency traders anticipating individual large trades and trading opportunistically around them. Our findings are difficult to reconcile with alternative hypotheses that opportunistic high-frequency traders and large traders are trading on a common price signal, or that the observed trading behavior is the byproduct of market-making strategies.
{"title":"Large trade anticipation","authors":"Kyoung-Hun Bae , Peter Dixon , Eun-Jung Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102066","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102066","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We study whether a subset of high-frequency traders, which we refer to as opportunistic high-frequency traders, systematically anticipate and trade around individual large trades to profit from their price impact. The trading patterns we document, using account-level transaction data from the Korean Stock Exchange, are consistent with opportunistic high-frequency traders anticipating individual large trades and trading opportunistically around them. Our findings are difficult to reconcile with alternative hypotheses that opportunistic high-frequency traders and large traders are trading on a common price signal, or that the observed trading behavior is the byproduct of market-making strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102066"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417298","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-25DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102061
Hao Fang , Chien-Ping Chung , Yen-Hsien Lee
Using a dynamic panel threshold regression that allows both the threshold variable and regressors to be endogenous, this study precisely analyzes the moderating effects of the threshold in a credit market on the relationship between financial development and economic growth considering a banking crisis. Our sample includes data from 54 countries for1996–2017. We find that without a banking crisis, the effect of finance on growth under lower credit growth is significantly positive, but this effect turns significantly negative under higher credit growth. However, when a banking crisis occurs, the net effect of the finance–growth relationship on higher credit growth becomes increasingly negative. Our findings indicate that the effect of financial development on economic growth intuitively depends on growth in private credit rather than only the level of the credit market.
{"title":"Moderating effect of credit growth for financial development on economic growth: Considering banking crises and endogeneity","authors":"Hao Fang , Chien-Ping Chung , Yen-Hsien Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102061","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102061","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using a dynamic panel threshold regression that allows both the threshold variable and regressors to be endogenous, this study precisely analyzes the moderating effects of the threshold in a credit market on the relationship between financial development and economic growth considering a banking crisis. Our sample includes data from 54 countries for1996–2017. We find that without a banking crisis, the effect of finance on growth under lower credit growth is significantly positive, but this effect turns significantly negative under higher credit growth. However, when a banking crisis occurs, the net effect of the finance–growth relationship on higher credit growth becomes increasingly negative. Our findings indicate that the effect of financial development on economic growth intuitively depends on growth in private credit rather than only the level of the credit market.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102061"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-25DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102069
Claudio de Oliveira de Moraes , Roberto Van Meeuwen
This study explores the relationship between financial development and environmental impacts in developing countries. While the growth of financial activities can exacerbate environmental challenges, certain aspects of financial development have the potential to counterbalance these negative effects. These findings emphasize the need for policymakers to carefully assess the trade-offs involved in promoting financial development. A more regulated and balanced approach is essential to ensure that financial progress aligns with sustainability goals.
{"title":"The financial development-environmental nexus – Unveiling trade-offs","authors":"Claudio de Oliveira de Moraes , Roberto Van Meeuwen","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102069","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102069","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the relationship between financial development and environmental impacts in developing countries. While the growth of financial activities can exacerbate environmental challenges, certain aspects of financial development have the potential to counterbalance these negative effects. These findings emphasize the need for policymakers to carefully assess the trade-offs involved in promoting financial development. A more regulated and balanced approach is essential to ensure that financial progress aligns with sustainability goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102069"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145578871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102068
Marie Finnegan , Lucía Morales
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access to bank finance is a significant concern for researchers, with much literature using discrete choice models and the ECB/EC Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE). However, there is no consensus in this literature on the treatment of standard errors. Some employ heteroskedastic robust standard errors, some cluster standard errors at the country level, while others cluster at the country x time level. Yet, different standard error treatments can lead to different effects and can affect the reliability of model estimations. The methodology employed is a discrete choice binary dependent probit model and sensitivity analysis, which subjects the main findings to different standard error treatments and the application of a novel diagnostic framework to choose the best performing discrete choice model. The main findings show that results for variables from SAFE remain consistent regardless of standard errors used, but country effects vary with different treatments. This highlights the need for researchers to make explicit their research choices and rationale regarding standard errors, subject their findings to sensitivity analysis and ensure valid inference. In general, clustering at the country x time level is particularly appropriate when using discrete choice models when the data exhibits both cross-sectional and temporal dependencies. This paper contributes to the literature by examining standard error treatments used in previous SAFE studies and introducing a diagnostic framework to identify the best-performing discrete choice model. This diagnostic framework bridges the gap between econometric guidance and applied studies using SAFE and can be applied more generally to multi-country discrete choice analysis.
{"title":"Evaluating discrete choice model specifications in SAFE-based research: Implications for research in SMEs access to bank finance","authors":"Marie Finnegan , Lucía Morales","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102068","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102068","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access to bank finance is a significant concern for researchers, with much literature using discrete choice models and the ECB/EC Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises (SAFE). However, there is no consensus in this literature on the treatment of standard errors. Some employ heteroskedastic robust standard errors, some cluster standard errors at the country level, while others cluster at the country x time level. Yet, different standard error treatments can lead to different effects and can affect the reliability of model estimations. The methodology employed is a discrete choice binary dependent probit model and sensitivity analysis, which subjects the main findings to different standard error treatments and the application of a novel diagnostic framework to choose the best performing discrete choice model. The main findings show that results for variables from SAFE remain consistent regardless of standard errors used, but country effects vary with different treatments. This highlights the need for researchers to make explicit their research choices and rationale regarding standard errors, subject their findings to sensitivity analysis and ensure valid inference. In general, clustering at the country x time level is particularly appropriate when using discrete choice models when the data exhibits both cross-sectional and temporal dependencies. This paper contributes to the literature by examining standard error treatments used in previous SAFE studies and introducing a diagnostic framework to identify the best-performing discrete choice model. This diagnostic framework bridges the gap between econometric guidance and applied studies using SAFE and can be applied more generally to multi-country discrete choice analysis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102068"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102062
Messaoud Chibane , Ano Kuhanathan
Recent literature has identified a strong link between EURO zone inflation and the price of natural gas prices, establishing itself after the Russian-Ukraine war. We revisit this relationship by analyzing the probability of extreme movements in market-based inflation expectations and its relation to energy prices. We find that, after 2022, short-term and long-term expected inflation upward tail risk tend to increase jointly, pointing to a potential de-anchoring effect. This effect is not as pronounced for the downward tail risk. This phenomenon seems to be specific to the EURO zone and related to natural gas prices rather than to energy prices in general. Our results suggest that beyond monetary policy, solving natural gas supply issues and limiting price volatility should be key targets for the EURO zone policy makers in order to rein in inflation expectations.
{"title":"Examining the impact of natural gas price volatility on Euro zone inflation expectations","authors":"Messaoud Chibane , Ano Kuhanathan","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102062","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102062","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent literature has identified a strong link between EURO zone inflation and the price of natural gas prices, establishing itself after the Russian-Ukraine war. We revisit this relationship by analyzing the probability of extreme movements in market-based inflation expectations and its relation to energy prices. We find that, after 2022, short-term and long-term expected inflation upward tail risk tend to increase jointly, pointing to a potential de-anchoring effect. This effect is not as pronounced for the downward tail risk. This phenomenon seems to be specific to the EURO zone and related to natural gas prices rather than to energy prices in general. Our results suggest that beyond monetary policy, solving natural gas supply issues and limiting price volatility should be key targets for the EURO zone policy makers in order to rein in inflation expectations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102062"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145465850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1016/j.qref.2025.102071
Roland von Horn , Muhamed Kudic
Systemic risk in banking has drawn worldwide attention since the 2007–2009 crisis. Fintech startups provide cutting-edge solutions that extend beyond banks’ traditional capabilities, fostering intensive bank–fintech cooperation and giving rise to a ‘pervaded banking system’ (PBS) with novel, largely uncharted vulnerabilities. Using complex adaptive systems theory, we assemble a dataset of 604 fintechs and 802 banks in Central Europe (DACH-Region – Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) – and propose a structurally defined stability concept. We evaluate PBS stability through multiple network-based stress-testing scenarios. The results show that large-scale fintech failures can trigger severe systemic disruptions, whereas exits of small and recently established fintechs have limited effects. By contrast, fintech firms occupying structurally exposed positions act as key risk amplifiers, a channel that traditional risk assessments largely overlook. Our framework thus complements conventional market-based or balance-sheet-based approaches by uncovering structure-induced vulnerabilities in the financial system.
{"title":"Systemic risk in the fintech-banking system: Assessing instabilities and vulnerabilities in Central Europe","authors":"Roland von Horn , Muhamed Kudic","doi":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102071","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.qref.2025.102071","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Systemic risk in banking has drawn worldwide attention since the 2007–2009 crisis. Fintech startups provide cutting-edge solutions that extend beyond banks’ traditional capabilities, fostering intensive bank–fintech cooperation and giving rise to a ‘pervaded banking system’ (PBS) with novel, largely uncharted vulnerabilities. Using complex adaptive systems theory, we assemble a dataset of 604 fintechs and 802 banks in Central Europe (DACH-Region – Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) – and propose a structurally defined stability concept. We evaluate PBS stability through multiple network-based stress-testing scenarios. The results show that large-scale fintech failures can trigger severe systemic disruptions, whereas exits of small and recently established fintechs have limited effects. By contrast, fintech firms occupying structurally exposed positions act as key risk amplifiers, a channel that traditional risk assessments largely overlook. Our framework thus complements conventional market-based or balance-sheet-based approaches by uncovering structure-induced vulnerabilities in the financial system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47962,"journal":{"name":"Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance","volume":"104 ","pages":"Article 102071"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145578873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}