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Learning to Navigate a New Financial Technology: Evidence from Payroll Accounts

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  • Kanz, Martin
  • Breza, Emily
  • Klapper, Leora F.

Abstract

How do inexperienced consumers learn to use a new financial technology? We present results from a field experiment that introduced payroll accounts in a population of largely unbanked factory workers in Bangladesh. In the experiment, workers in a treatment group received monthly wage payments into a bank or mobile money account while workers in a control group continued to receive wages in cash, with a subset also receiving an account without automatic wage payments. We find that exposure to payroll accounts leads to increased account use and consumer learning. Those receiving accounts with automatic wage payments learn to use the account without assistance, begin to use a wider set of account features, and learn to avoid illicit fees, which are common in emerging markets for consumer finance. The treatments have real effects, leading to increased savings and improvements in the ability to cope with unanticipated economic shocks. We conduct an additional audit study and find suggestive evidence of market externalities from consumer learning: mobile money agents are less likely to overcharge inexperienced customers in areas with higher levels of payroll account adoption. This suggests potentially important equilibrium effects of introducing accounts at scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Kanz, Martin & Breza, Emily & Klapper, Leora F., 2020. "Learning to Navigate a New Financial Technology: Evidence from Payroll Accounts," CEPR Discussion Papers 15565, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:15565
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    Cited by:

    1. Lucas A. Mariani & Jose Renato Haas Ornelas & Bernardo Ricca, 2023. "Banks’ Physical Footprint and Financial Technology Adoption," Working Papers Series 576, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department.
    2. Chen, S. & Doerr, S. & Frost, J. & Gambacorta, L. & Shin, H.S., 2023. "The fintech gender gap," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    3. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2022. "Epidemic Exposure, Financial Technology, and the Digital Divide," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(7), pages 1913-1940, October.
    4. Catia Batista & Pedro C. Vicente, 2018. "Is mobile money changing rural Africa? Evidence from a field experiment," NOVAFRICA Working Paper Series wp1805, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics, NOVAFRICA.
    5. Seth Garz & Xavier Gine & Dean Karlan & Rafe Mazer & Caitlin Sanford & Jonathan Zinman, 2021. "Consumer Protection for Financial Inclusion in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Bridging Regulator and Academic Perspectives," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 13(1), pages 219-246, November.
    6. Stefano Fiorin & Joseph Hall & Martin Kanz, 2023. "How do Borrowers Respond to a Debt Moratorium? Experimental Evidence from Consumer Loans in India," Working Papers 691, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University.
    7. Ngoc Duc Lang & Ha Mai Tran & Giang Tra Nguyen & Duc Hong Vo, 2024. "An Untapped Instrument in the Fight Against Poverty: The Impacts of Financial Literacy on Poverty Worldwide," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 174(2), pages 657-695, September.
    8. Leora Klapper, 2023. "How digital payments can benefit entrepreneurs," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 396-396, April.
    9. Giné, Xavier & Goldberg, Jessica, 2023. "Experience in financial decision-making: Field evidence from Malawi," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    10. Hernández Romero, Karla & Vera-Cossio, Diego A. & Hoffmann, Bridget & Pecha, Camilo, 2024. "The Promises of Digital Bank Accounts for Low-income Individuals," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 13379, Inter-American Development Bank.
    11. repec:zbw:bofitp:2021_013 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Fatma Mabrouk & Jihen Bousrih & Manal Elhaj & Jawaher Binsuwadan & Hind Alofaysan, 2023. "Empowering Women through Digital Financial Inclusion: Comparative Study before and after COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-17, June.
    13. Matheus C. Sampaio & Jose Renato Haas Ornelas, 2024. "Payment Technology Complementarities and their Consequences in the Banking Sector: evidence from Brazil’s Pix," Working Papers Series 600, Central Bank of Brazil, Research Department.
    14. Mariani, Lucas A. & Haas Ornelas, José Renato & Ricca, Bernardo, 2023. "Banks’ Physical Footprint and Financial Technology Adoption," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 12812, Inter-American Development Bank.
    15. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2021. "Epidemic Exposure, Fintech Adoption, and the Digital Divide," NBER Working Papers 29006, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Hugo Reis & Lara Wemans, 2022. "Financial literacy of 15 years-old in Portugal: Evidence from PISA 2018," Economic Bulletin and Financial Stability Report Articles and Banco de Portugal Economic Studies, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    17. Fu, Jonathan & Mishra, Mrinal, 2022. "Fintech in the time of COVID−19: Technological adoption during crises," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    18. Ablam Estel Apeti, 2022. "Household welfare in the digital age: Assessing the effect of mobile money on household consumption volatility in developing countries," Post-Print hal-03819779, HAL.
    19. Bruce Carlin & Arna Olafsson & Michaela Pagel, 2023. "Mobile Apps and Financial Decision Making," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 27(3), pages 977-996.
    20. Apeti, Ablam Estel, 2023. "Household welfare in the digital age: Assessing the effect of mobile money on household consumption volatility in developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    21. Carlotta Nani, 2024. "Perceived abilities and gender stereotypes within the household: experimental evidence from Bangladesh," IHEID Working Papers 19-2024, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    22. Orkun Saka & Barry Eichengreen & Cevat Giray Aksoy, 2022. "Epidemic Exposure, Financial Technology, and the Digital Divide," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(7), pages 1913-1940, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Learning; Financial inclusion; Financial consumer protection;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G5 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth
    • G53 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Financial Literacy
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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