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The purpose of this working paper is to provide a primer on financial technology and on Blockchain, while sheding light on the impact they may have on the financial industry. FinTechs, the financial technology and innovation that competes with traditional financial methods in the delivery of financial services, has the potential to improve the reach of financial services to the broader public and facilitate the creation of a credit record, especially in the developing world.

European Investment Bank

EIB Working Papers 2019

EIB Working Papers 2019/01 - Blockchain, FinTechs: and their relevance for international financial institutions

Firms can be identified as high growth, stable or declining. This paper investigates the links between these different phases in the life of a firm, investment activity, financing needs and financing constraints. Using the representative EIBIS survey of EU companies, it finds that firms in a high growth phase are more likely to apply for equity financing and more likely to be financially constrained. Further, it identifies firms with a high growth potential. The most severe barriers for high-growth enterprises are the availability of skilled staff and business regulations, while potential high-growth enterprises are more constrained by uncertainty about the future.

EIB Working Papers 2019/03 - Financing and obstacles for high growth enterprises: the European case

Information from surveys can be used alongside macroeconomic indicators to provide a better understanding of the obstacles to investment faced by firms. This study uses merged firm level data from the European Investment Bank Investment Survey (EIBIS) and hard data from firms' balance sheets and profit and loss information to investigate how well survey results correlate with macro-based hard data. Firms' perceptions of impediments to investment tend to be related to firms' specific characteristics: firms that are smaller, more indebted, less profitable or with less liquidity, tend to report more impediments. Nonetheless, after controlling for firm specific characteristics, the investment gaps reported by firms remain correlated with the reported impediments.