RegTech: Technology-driven compliance and its effects on profitability, operations, and market structure

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Financial Economics
Year: 2024
Volume: 154
Issue: C

Authors (4)

Charoenwong, Ben (not in RePEc) Kowaleski, Zachary T. (not in RePEc) Kwan, Alan (not in RePEc) Sutherland, Andrew G. (Massachusetts Institute of Tec...)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Compliance-driven investments in technology—or “RegTech”—are growing rapidly. To understand the effects on the financial sector, we study firms’ responses to new internal control requirements. Affected firms make significant investments in ERP and hardware. These expenditures then enable complementary investments that are leveraged for noncompliance purposes, leading to modest savings from avoided customer complaints and misconduct. IT budgets rise and profits fall, especially at small firms, and acquisition activity and market concentration increase. Our results illustrate how regulation can directly and indirectly affect technology adoption, which in turn affects noncompliance functions and market structure.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jfinec:v:154:y:2024:i:c:s0304405x24000151
Journal Field
Finance
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25