In this paper, we examine the role of peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms in enhancing financial inclusion from the borrowers’ point of view across the rural–urban dimension. We show that when number of bank branches decrease in a rural community, the P2P loan requests increase if there is at least one bank branch in the community allowing people to participate in the P2P market. We also find that the number of P2P loan requests from urban areas is higher when such areas have fewer pawnshops per capita. Our results suggest that P2P enhances financial inclusion of those lacking traditional institutions in rural communities and offers an alternative to those with fewer fringe banks in urban communities.

中文翻译：

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P2P 平台在增强美国金融包容性方面的作用：对跨越城乡鸿沟的 P2P 借贷的分析

在本文中，我们从借款人的角度研究了点对点 (P2P) 平台在增强金融包容性方面的作用，跨越了城乡层面。我们表明，当农村社区的银行分行数量减少时，如果社区中至少有一家银行分行允许人们参与 P2P 市场，则 P2P 贷款请求会增加。我们还发现，当这些地区的人均典当行较少时，来自城市地区的 P2P 贷款请求数量会更高。我们的研究结果表明，P2P 增强了农村社区缺乏传统机构的人的金融包容性，并为城市社区中边缘银行较少的人提供了一种替代方案。