Papers

  • Artificial intelligence-driven scalability and its impact on the sustainability and valuation of traditional firms

    Roberto Moro-Visconti, Salvador Cruz Rambaud & Joaquín López Pascual

    The objective of this study is to determine the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of firms as a proxy of their financial and economic margins by improving revenues and minimizing expenses. This impact is positive on the market value and scalability by improving the economic and financial sustainability of companies. The methodology is based on a business plan that considers the savings obtained by a traditional firm implementing AI. Specifically, a sensitivity analysis will demonstrate that AI savings impact key parameters, leading to economic and financial sustainability. Additionally, a mathematical interpretation, based on network theory, will be produced to provide and compare the added value of two ecosystems (without and with AI that adds up new nodes and strengthens the existing ones). The main contribution of this paper is the combination of two unrelated approaches, showing the potential of AI in scalable ecosystems. In future research, this innovative methodology could be extended to other technological applications.

    Artículos en revistas científicas (papers) Joaquín López Pascual:

  • Insurtech, Proptech & Fintech Environment. Sustainability, Global Trends and Opportunities

    Edited by: Salvador Cruz Rambaud and Joaquín López Pascual (August 2023)

    The relationship between fintech and sustainability and the different areas of collaboration between fintechs and sustainable finance were the main focus of this publication, highlighting how fintechs may play pivotal roles in the pathway towards a sustainable future. As a result of transformation in the traditional banking and finance industry because of fintech disruption, many new opportunities have been created. Thus, banks are investing heavily in technology to implement real-time payment systems, partnering with fintech firms to do so. The opportunities for growth and development are endless, and the potential for high rewards is great. Fintech companies are moving to the forefront of emerging technologies and working in this sector can provide access to the latest innovations. Due to those new opportunities and global trends pointed out in this publication, the financial industry will likely not be the same anymore.

  • A socioeconomic approach to the profile of microcredit holders from the Hispanic minority in the USA

    Salvador Cruz Rambaud, Joaquín López Pascual & Emilio M. Santandreu. A socioeconomic approach to the profile of microcredit holders from the Hispanic minority in the USA. (Financial Innovation)

    The subject of this study is the microcredit market in the USA, more specifically in Florida. The justification for choosing this specific state is the massive presence of the Hispanic population. This will facilitate a generalization of the obtained results to the microcredit market in Latin American countries. Thus, the objective of this study is to analyze the profile of microcredit holders and their companies from socioeconomic and financial points of view. As our data also consider the degree of repayment of the microloans included in the sample, the clients’ profile is related to the punctuality or default of their corresponding loan repayments using the methodology of multinomial logit regression. The variables used in this study refer to personal information concerning borrowers (gender, age, education level, and marital status), the economic situation of their respective companies (closeness to the lender, number of workers, and revenues), and the characteristics of granted loans (principal, term, and purpose). However, the results of the regression show that only two variables are significant at the 5% significance level: the borrower’s age, which has a positive effect on repayment punctuality, and the loan term, which exhibits a negative effect. The findings of this study have clear implications, as they can help lenders design suitable microloans adjusted to customer profiles. Finally, future research should include other demographics and characteristics of affected companies.

  • Should gender be a determinant factor for granting crowdfunded microloans?

    Salvador Cruz Rambaud, Joaquín López Pascual, Roberto Moro-Visconti & Emilio M. Santandreu. Should gender be a determinant factor for granting crowdfunded microloans?. (Humanities & Social Sciences Communications)

    Crowdfunded microloans are a suitable tool for financing basic economic activities in developing as well as developed countries, favouring female empowerment. Despite the loans being relatively small, the widespread use of this instrument merits analyzing the factors affecting the microloan. One of these factors is gender because microloans are an important tool to finance projects promoted by women in many developing countries where microfinance is widely diffused. This research aims to determine if the gender of crowdfunded micro-borrowers is related to the main features which define the conditions of a microloan: amount, term, number of lenders, length of time to contact with borrowers and repayment system.

    Artículos en revistas científicas (Papers) de Joaquín López Pascual:

  • Staggered loans: A flexible modality of long-term financing for SMEs in global health emergencies.

    Salvador Cruz Rambaud, Joaquín López Pascual and Emilio Santandreu. Staggered loans: A flexible modality of long-term financing for SMEs in global health emergencies. (Quantitative Finance and Economics).

    The context of this paper is the unprecedented global situation which has been and is still experiencing all countries all over the world, due to the pandemic caused by Covid-19 and its variants. Apart from the important problem of health population, all countries are facing a sharp reduction in their main economic indicators: stock indices, GDP (Gross Domestic Product), rates of employment, closing down of businesses, etc.

    Results: In this paper, we have presented and mathematically analyzed the so-called staggered loans as a useful tool for SMEs to be applied after times of crisis. Moreover, their pros and cons, and the advantages for lenders and borrowers have been highlighted.

    Artículos en revistas científicas (Papers) Joaquín López Pascual ORCID: https://orcid.or//0000-0002-6236-9853

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  • Do Field Partners add Value to Crowdfunded Microfinance? An Industry Approach

    Roberto Moro-Visconti, Salvador Cruz Rambaud, Joaquín López Pascual. Do Field Partners add Value to Crowdfunded Microfinance? An Industry Approach. (World Scientific)

    The framework of this study is the field of crowdfunded microfinance that represents a way to scale up financial access, leveraging digital technology applications. A key element of this value chain is the field partner, represented by a local Microfinance Institution (MFI) that intermediates between the crowdfunding platform and the individual borrowers or group of borrowers. In this context, the main objective of this paper is to measure the financial and prosocial contributions of field partners through crowdfunded microloans.

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  • The Impact of Sustainable Bond Issuances in the Economic Growth of the Latin American and Caribbean Countries

    Lorena Carolina Bernabé Argandoña, Salvador Cruz Rambaud y Joaquín López Pascual. The Impact of Sustainable Bond Issuances in the Economic Growth of the Latin American and Caribbean Countries. (Sustainability).

    There is beyond any doubt that Latin America is one of the most important emerging markets in the world, which has increased its importance in the last decades. In effect, the issues of green, social, and sustainability (GSS) bonds are gaining more and more importance in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) financial markets…

    Joaquín López Pascual ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6236-9853

    Otros Papers de Joaquín López Pascual :

  • Connectivity adaptations in dopaminergic systems define the brain maturity of investors

    Elena Ortiz Teran, Ibai Diez, Jorge Sepulcre, Joaquín López Pascual, Tomás Ortiz. Connectivity adaptations in dopaminergic systems define the brain maturity of investors (Scientific Reports). 

    Connectivity adaptations in dopaminergic systems define the brain maturity of investors. 

    We found a concurrent increase in the volume of certain cortical (insula, prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortices) and subcortical areas (pons, midbrain, amygdala, hippocampus, striatum and thalamus) with regard to financial experience, which leads us to believe that none of these regions in isolation are specialized in responding to investments alone.

    Despite the fact that investors may vary in their ability to make advantageous financial choices, our conclusion is that there is a common neurological basis gained by experience. By learning how to harness the emotional aspects of investing while raising bodily awareness, they are able to turn feelings into lessons that ultimately will guide their decisions supported by catecholamine-related brain systems. 

  • Sustainability in FinTechs: An Explanation through Business Model Scalability and Market Valuation

    Roberto Moro-Visconti, Salvador Cruz Rambaud and Joaquín López Pascual. Sustainability in FinTechs: An Explanation through Business Model Scalability and Market Valuation. (Sustainability).

    Financial Technology (FinTech) is an industry composed of diversified firms that combine financial services with innovative technologies. The research question and main goal are attempting to answer whether they are more similar to traditional banks or trendy technological firms deploying their innovativeness to favor financial inclusion and sustainability. 

  • Sustainability in the Aerospace Sector, a Transition to Clean Energy: The E2-EVM Valuation Model

    Salvador Cruz Rambaud, Joaquín López Pascual and Juan Carlos Meléndez Rodríguez. Sustainability in the Aerospace Sector, a Transition to Clean Energy: The E2-EVM Valuation Model. (Sustainability).

    Civil aviation is one of biggest industrial contributors to CO2 emissions worldwide. One of the most urgent problems of this sector is providing new technologies to continue operating in a more sustainable environment through a transition to clean energy. The Earned Value Management (EVM) model, as a traditional project management tool, is continuously being revised with new releases and extensions (e.g., ESM, EDM, QEVM, E-EVM, and ZEVM), but to date none of them has applied…. 

  • An ALE Meta-Analysis on Investment Decision-Making

    Elena Ortiz-Teran, Ibai Diez, Joaquin Lopez-Pascual. An ALE Meta-Analysis on Investment Decision-Making (Brain Sciences). 

    It is claimed that investment decision-making should rely on rational analyses based on facts and not emotions. However, trying to make money out of market forecasts can trigger all types of emotional responses. As the question on how investors decide remains controversial, we carried out an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies that have reported whole-brain analyses on subjects performing an investment task. Our findings support the notion that investment choices are emotional decisions that take into account market information, individual preferences and beliefs.

  • The Enhanced-Earned Value Management (E-EVM) Model: A Proposal for the Aerospace Industry

    Joaquín López Pascual, Juan Carlos Meléndez Rodríguez and Salvador Cruz Rambaud. The Enhanced-Earned Value Management (E-EVM) Model: A Proposal for the Aerospace Industry (Symmetry).

    The framework of this paper is the aerospace industry, which is one of the world’s leading sectors, thus playing a noteworthy role in current society. This makes it especially important to try to optimize the management of the aerospace sector. 

    Otros Papers de Joaquín López Pascual:
    https://www.joaquinlopezpascual.com/papers/