Publications
Publications
- 2023
- HBS Working Paper Series
Digital Lending and Financial Well-Being: Through the Lens of Mobile Phone Data
By: AJ Chen, Omri Even-Tov, Jung Koo Kang and Regina Wittenberg-Moerman
Abstract
To mitigate information asymmetry about borrowers in developing economies, digital lenders utilize machine-learning algorithms and nontraditional data from borrowers’ mobile devices. Consequently, digital lenders have managed to expand access to credit for millions of individuals lacking a prior credit history. However, short-term, high-interest digital loans have raised concerns about predatory lending practices. To examine how digital credit influences borrowers’ financial well-being, we use proprietary data from a digital lender in Kenya that randomly approves loan applications that would have otherwise been rejected based on the borrower’s credit profile. We find that access to digital credit improves borrowers’ financial well-being across various mobilephone-based well-being measures, including monetary transaction volume, mobility, and social networks, as well as borrowers’ self-reported income and employment. We further show that this positive impact is more pronounced when borrowers have limited access to credit, take loans for business purposes, and obtain more credit.
Keywords
Borrowing and Debt; Credit; AI and Machine Learning; Welfare; Well-being; Developing Countries and Economies; Equality and Inequality
Citation
Chen, AJ, Omri Even-Tov, Jung Koo Kang, and Regina Wittenberg-Moerman. "Digital Lending and Financial Well-Being: Through the Lens of Mobile Phone Data." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 23-076, April 2023. (Revised November 2023. SSRN Working Paper Series, November 2023)