Project Details
Description
Recent research in financial technologies (FinTech) has shifted from emphasizing competitive disruption by FinTech firms to recognizing the cooperation and interdependence between FinTech start-ups and incumbent banks, particularly in the widespread digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). While numerous national-level analysis has examined the penetration of disruptive technologies in the financial services and subsequent transformation of banking operations, customer service and risk management, a significant gap remains in exploring the salient role of AI in the evolving interplay between financial incumbents and FinTech platforms,
especially in diverse city-regions of the Global South.
Drawing upon the focal notion of strategic coupling from the Global Production Networks (GPN) theory, this project develops a multi-scalar, cross-sectoral analytical framework to explore the AI-driven digital transformation of incumbent banks and the emergence of digital banks in the context of subnational city-regions. Leveraging the expertise and synergies of the research team in economic and financial geographies, the project investigates and compares the strategic relationships between financial incumbents and FinTech platforms in two pivotal cities of China's Greater Bay Area: Hong Kong, a global financial centre, and Shenzhen, China’s "Silicon Valley" for
technological innovation and a birthplace of FinTech platforms. Particular emphasis is placed on the emerging cross-border dynamics of AI-enhanced digital financial services between the two cities. A mixed-method approach will be employed to gather and analyze both quantitative data and qualitative insights through questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews with a diverse array of stakeholders, including traditional and digital banks, FinTech startups and giant platforms, regulatory agencies, industrial experts, as well as individual and corporate consumers in the two neighbouring metropolises. The project specifically examines how the distinct technological, market, and regulatory contexts of Hong Kong and Shenzhen influence
the AI-driven restructuring and interplay between financial services and FinTech development at both city and regional levels.
This research contributes to the developing research on the restructuring and intersection between financial services and FinTech industries in the era of AI by: 1) conceptualizing the strategic coupling of commercial banks and FinTechs in the digital transformation; and 2) providing a nuanced city-regional analysis of the dynamic relationship between the established financial incumbents and FinTech platforms in the digital financial services in China. The conceptual framework and empirical findings may generalize and offer profound insights applicable to other city-regions navigating the nexus of digital finance and financial innovation in the proliferation of AI and
technological advancement.
especially in diverse city-regions of the Global South.
Drawing upon the focal notion of strategic coupling from the Global Production Networks (GPN) theory, this project develops a multi-scalar, cross-sectoral analytical framework to explore the AI-driven digital transformation of incumbent banks and the emergence of digital banks in the context of subnational city-regions. Leveraging the expertise and synergies of the research team in economic and financial geographies, the project investigates and compares the strategic relationships between financial incumbents and FinTech platforms in two pivotal cities of China's Greater Bay Area: Hong Kong, a global financial centre, and Shenzhen, China’s "Silicon Valley" for
technological innovation and a birthplace of FinTech platforms. Particular emphasis is placed on the emerging cross-border dynamics of AI-enhanced digital financial services between the two cities. A mixed-method approach will be employed to gather and analyze both quantitative data and qualitative insights through questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews with a diverse array of stakeholders, including traditional and digital banks, FinTech startups and giant platforms, regulatory agencies, industrial experts, as well as individual and corporate consumers in the two neighbouring metropolises. The project specifically examines how the distinct technological, market, and regulatory contexts of Hong Kong and Shenzhen influence
the AI-driven restructuring and interplay between financial services and FinTech development at both city and regional levels.
This research contributes to the developing research on the restructuring and intersection between financial services and FinTech industries in the era of AI by: 1) conceptualizing the strategic coupling of commercial banks and FinTechs in the digital transformation; and 2) providing a nuanced city-regional analysis of the dynamic relationship between the established financial incumbents and FinTech platforms in the digital financial services in China. The conceptual framework and empirical findings may generalize and offer profound insights applicable to other city-regions navigating the nexus of digital finance and financial innovation in the proliferation of AI and
technological advancement.
| Status | Not started |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/01/26 → 31/12/28 |
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