Technological Innovations and Financial Markets Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The aim of this article is to assess the effect of technological innovations on the development of financial markets in Sub-Saharan Africa over the period 1996-2021. The study was conducted in 48 sub-Saharan African countries. The theory of financial intermediation (McKinnon, 1973 and Shaw, 1973) was used for the entire analysis process. This evaluation was carried out using the ARDL model with the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimator. In addition, we develop a composite index of financial development following the work of Čihák et al., (2012) and Svirydzenka (2016). The results from this analysis show that in the short term, all the variables of interest internet, landline and cell phone have no significant effect on the development of direct finance; although in the long term, internet and landline have positive and significant effects. These results argue in favor of investing in technological innovations that are capable of stimulating financial markets, and whose effects can have a positive impact ......