Fintech, technological innovation and regional economic growth: Theoretical modeling and empirical evidence

IF 5.2 1区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS

中国经济评论 Pub Date : 2025-03-24 DOI:10.1016/j.chieco.2025.102397

Xirong Huang , Jichang Dong , Xiuting Li

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the role of fintech in stimulating innovation and promoting regional economic growth. A Multi-Sector Endogenous Growth Model (MEGM) is constructed by incorporating fintech while internalizing technological progress and human capital accumulation within the framework of creative destruction. Based on this model, we theoretically analyze how fintech influences innovation and regional economic growth, followed by empirical testing using panel data from 246 prefecture-level cities in China during the period from 2012 to 2020. Furthermore, we contextualize these findings within China's fintech development landscape, trends in technological innovation, and patterns of regional economic growth. The results demonstrate that fintech exerts a significant incentive effect on regional innovation and effectively promotes economic growth. Heterogeneity analysis based on cities' endowments reveals that the impact of fintech is more pronounced in financially developed cities, those with high digital endowments, as well as in first- and second-tier cities. The analyses presented herein elucidate how fintech facilitates technology-driven regional economic growth in China, providing valuable insights for fostering innovation-driven development through fintech.

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来源期刊

中国经济评论 ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

10.60

自引率

4.40%

发文量

380

期刊介绍： The China Economic Review publishes original works of scholarship which add to the knowledge of the economy of China and to economies as a discipline. We seek, in particular, papers dealing with policy, performance and institutional change. Empirical papers normally use a formal model, a data set, and standard statistical techniques. Submissions are subjected to double-blind peer review.