French and Swiss banks as initiators of implementation and use of Crowdfunding Systems

Abstract

Purpose of the Study: The subjects of the considerations are initiatives to implement or use the method of online crowdfunding by banks. The focus was on such implementations in France and Switzerland, i.e. countries with a relatively large number of such projects. The presented research identifies crowdfunding platforms and (depending on access to data) determines the size in terms of value of the analyzed market sub-segment and its specificity. This work is a continuation of a series of author`s publications aimed at examining the crowdfunding market sub-segment of banks in Europe.
 Methodology: Crowdfunding platforms in individual French and Swiss banks were identified. Data was obtained from internet resources, supported by, inter alia, available publications. The final data was obtained directly from the websites of the analyzed financial institutions (or platforms), or they were aggregated, or the data was estimated on the basis of partial information. The research was carried out in October and November 2021, with data verification as of November 30.
 Main Findings: The article explores a specific market segment in France and Switzerland - banks implementing or using crowdfunding platforms. The scope of implementation of such systems was determined by identifying the individual analyzed financial institutions. The value of accumulated financial resources (capital) and the scope of project implementation were measured, distinguishing the size of the market sub-segment under study. The examined systems collectively obtained a relatively large amount, over EUR 4326 million.
 Applications of the Study: The presented article concerns the applications of the crowdfunding method in financial institutions (French and Swiss banks). This implies considerations in several scientific fields, incl. economics (the possibility of measuring the market segment), business informatics (electronic platforms; human-computer interactions).
 Novelty / Originality of this Study: The scientific literature on the use of crowdfunding in banks, and especially the measurement of the size of this market segment, is almost non-existent, it is only fragmentary. The separation in this article of the size of the crowdfunding sub-segment in French and Swiss banks, although partial, seems prospective, as it allows for further research in this area.