General patterns and regional disparity of internet finance development in China: Evidence from the Peking University Internet Finance Development Index

Internet finance has experienced rapid growth in recent years in China, and it is expected to play an increasingly important role in the economy. This paper is one of the first attempts to examine the current state of development of Internet finance in China. The paper first introduces the methodology of the Peking University Internet Finance Index, which provides a monthly evaluation and analysis of the general trends and patterns of the Chinese Internet finance industry. The findings show that although the growth of the industry as a whole has been robust, the levels of development and rates of growth exhibit substantial variation across business categories. The paper then investigates the underlying determinants of the regional disparity in the development of Internet finance. The preliminary results suggest that the traditional financial sector, infrastructure, and local economic development are important for Internet finance development. The study suggests that the growth of Internet finance fundamentally relies on the development of the real economy and is associated with that of the traditional financial sector.