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The Rise of E-Wallets and Buy-Now-Pay-Later: Payment Competition, Credit Expansion, and Consumer Behavior

Author

Listed:
  • Wenlong Bian
  • Lin William Cong
  • Yang Ji

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed a phenomenal rise of digital wallets, and the COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated their adoption globally. Such e-wallets provide not only a conduit to external bank accounts but also internal payment options, including the ever-popular Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL). We examine, for the first time, e-wallet transactions matched with merchant and consumer information from a world-leading provider based in China, with over 1 billion users globally and a business model that other e-wallet providers quickly converge to. We document that internal payment options, especially BNPL, dominate both online and on-site transactions. BNPL has greatly expanded credit access on the extensive margin through its adoption in two-sided payment markets. While BNPL crowds out other e-wallet payment options, it expands FinTech credit to underserved consumers. Exploiting a randomized experiment, we also find that e-wallet credit through BNPL substantially boosts consumer spending. Nevertheless, users, especially those relying on e-wallets as their sole credit source, carefully moderate borrowing when incurring interest charges. The insights likely prove informative for economies transitioning from cash-heavy to cashless societies where digital payments and FinTech credit see the largest growth and market potential.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenlong Bian & Lin William Cong & Yang Ji, 2023. "The Rise of E-Wallets and Buy-Now-Pay-Later: Payment Competition, Credit Expansion, and Consumer Behavior," NBER Working Papers 31202, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:31202
    Note: AP CF ME PR
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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. Verdier, Marianne, 2024. "Digital payments and bank competition," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G51 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Household Savings, Borrowing, Debt, and Wealth

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