Regulating Financial Innovation Fintech and the Information Deficit

This book explores the impact of 'Fintech' on the information asymmetry between the financial regulator and the markets. It details the growing regulatory mismatch and how Fintech exacerbates the “pacing problem”, where the regulator struggles to keep up with innovation. With information as a point of reference, the book adds a new perspective on the latest phenomenon in financial innovation and presents a novel framework for navigating structural changes in the financial sector. Based on this analysis, a number of proposals to reduce the information gap and avoid regulatory mismatch are discussed. Thereby, new and promising regulatory concepts, such as regulatory sandboxes and SupTech applications are also covered. This book provides a practical framework for regulatory responses to financial innovation. It will be relevant to researchers and practitioners interested in financial technology and regulation.

1. Introduction.- 2. Foundations of financial regulation.- 3. The information problem and regulatory failure.- 4. An introduction to financial innovation.- 5. Forms of fintech – a market observation.- 6. What’s new about fintech (and what isn’t)?.- 7. Digital Disruption – structural shifts under fintech.- 8. The information problem under fintech.- 9. Conceptualizing a regulatory response to fintech.- 10. Analysing the current menu of fintech regulation.