To Play or Not to Play, a Central Bank’s Decision: Regulatory Sandboxes Worldwide

• In Event: Banking and Finance Regulations

Abstract

Having access to financial services, whether offered through traditional financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies, microfinance institutions, credit unions etc. or through mobile money providers, is critical for individuals’ well-being. Financial services indeed represent a fundamental tool to reach economic goals. Recently, Financial Technology (FinTech), in the form of digital innovations and technology-enabled business model innovations in finance, showed both significant growth as a sector as well as a promise in democratizing access to finance (i.e., financial inclusion). These trends are accompanied with increasing regulatory scrutiny. It is in this context, characterized by Central Banks aiming to optimize the benefits of FinTech ecosystems while hedging against associated risks, that Regulatory Sandboxes emerged as a framework allowing private firms to live test small-scale innovations in a controlled environment under the regulator’s supervision. This paper grounds itself into this context and explores the puzzling variation in government strategies vis-à-vis financial inclusion and financial technology. It specifically investigates the differences in Central Banks' adoption of this framework globally and the relationship between the sandboxes' implementation and financial inclusion levels per country.

Author

• Ghita Chraibi, University of Virginia