Finance is undergoing a profound transformation. Digital technologies are reshaping payments, lending, insurance, and wealth management. Big data technology is now an integral part of the financial services industry and will continue to drive future innovation. Digital finance has fundamentally changed how we live and do business, and it has been a major disruptor of the finance industry. The advantages of digital finance have long been recognized. Rapidly growing digital technologies also have the potential to deliver financial services at significantly reduced costs, thereby increasing financial inclusion and generating significant efficiency improvements across the economy. To build inclusive societies and address rising inequalities, global and national leaders must bridge the digital divide across and within countries to reap the benefits of digital financial services and build appropriate regulatory frameworks for ensuring trusted transactions in a digitalized economy. This means finding the right balance between enabling financial innovation and addressing risks, including insufficient consumer protection, a lack of financial and digital literacy, unequal access to digital infrastructure, and data biases that need action at the national level.This book focuses on financial technology, with a particular emphasis on the impact of digital finance on the finance and banking industries. Chapters address topics such as FinTech, big data, Bitcoin, corporate governance, and economic policy, while also considering current global issues like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Supported by the most recent research and illuminating case studies, this handbook offers an insightful overview of how the finance and banking sectors are changing under the influence of the digital age.
