FinTech rankings of six Taiwan municipalities

The innovations and applications of global FinTech have significantly influenced the knowledge in human communities and accelerated the booming development of emerging capital markets. A country's financial technology strength has become a critical indicator of its comprehensive national economic power. Reflecting the global emphasis on FinTech ranking, developing a robust FinTech environment requires the strategic allocation of resources based on the local cities' unique advantages and characteristics to maximize benefits. This study is the first paper to construct a FinTech ranking of Taiwan's six municipalities, derived from rigorous selection of FinTech indicators and robust statistical analysis. The study reveals a significant disparity in FinTech development, with inherent environmental factors and public resource allocation heavily favoring northern cities. In contrast, the two southern municipalities demonstrate a more profound integration and symbiotic relationship with local populations and businesses, facilitated by robust industry-academia collaborations and strong performance in green economy efficiency. The global and regional implications of our findings shed insights that the international regulators and policy makers should make strategically reinforce FinTech resources. This requires careful consideration of major municipalities' existing strengths and weaknesses to achieve a more balanced allocation of FinTech resources, ultimately fostering comprehensive financial knowledge inclusion in emerging countries.