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The Review of Corporate Finance Studies Vol. 14 No. 2 2025

Trust in Traditional Finance and Consumer Fintech Adoption

Deniz Okat1; Mikael Paaso2; Vesa Pursiainen3

1 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology · 2 Erasmus University Rotterdam · 3 University of St. Gallen and Swiss Finance Institute ,

open access

Abstract

We study the role of trust in traditional finance in the consumer adoption of various fintech products, including cryptocurrencies, peer-to-peer lending, other crowdfunding, roboadvisors, and alternative payment solutions. Using an online lab experiment, an experiment on an investment website, and a representative survey of Dutch households, we find no consistent evidence that trust in banks affects fintech adoption in any of the product categories, although we find weak evidence suggesting that trust in banks positively affects interest in alternative payment apps. Our results do not support the narrative that trust in traditional finance is a major driver of fintech adoption.

DOI
10.1093/rcfs/cfae011
Volume
14
Issue
2
Pages
408-438
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

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