The impact of information and communication technologies on banks, credit, and savings: an examination of Brazil by Flavia Alves published by BIS (3/2024).
How do ìInformation and Communication Technologiesî (ICTs) reshape the banking industry and banking habits? Using panel data containing detailed banking statements for more than 25,000 public and private bank branches distributed among over 3,500 municipalities of Brazil, I show that, following the rollout of the 4G mobile network, 6% of private banks exit the municipalities while their branches shrink on average 11% within Öve years of the introduction of this technology compared to municipalities that do not have it. By contrast, public banks are not reactive to better mobile connectivity. Credit, savings, and deposits also display di§erent patterns in response to better mobile network in public and private banks. Globally, these results suggest that the internet has been deeply reshaping the banking industry and modifying how credit and savings are distributed to the population with di§erent levels of internet access, with important policy implications for both the industry and consumers.
