
Ramona Rupeika-ApogaUniversity of Latvia | LU · Business, Management and Economics
Ramona Rupeika-Apoga
Dr. oec.
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60
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Introduction
Publications
Publications (60)
This study investigates the impact of social media use on faculty job performance, exploring the mediating roles of internal communication and teamwork. Drawing on the Uses and Gratifications theory, we examine how faculty members utilize social media for three distinct purposes: social interaction (social use), enjoyment (hedonic use), and informa...
As the number of FinTech start-ups continues to rise globally, the utilization of these services by users becomes increasingly crucial, especially considering potential risks. Various factors affect users' utilization of financial technology, with the quality of services offered by FinTech providers standing out as a significant consideration. The...
Fintech companies are relatively young and operate in a rapidly evolving and ever-changing industry, which makes it important to understand how different factors, including shareholder presence in management roles, affect their performance. This study investigates the impact of shareholder presence in director and manager positions on the financial...
SCDS (Sovereign Credit Default Swaps) are becoming more widely used as a country risk indicator after 2008 and stand out for providing real-time information rather than periodic reporting. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to economic disruptions and a decline in international trade. Understanding how the Pandemic affects SCDS return volatility in emer...
“The Risk Landscape in the Digital Transformation of Finance and Insurance” is a Special Issue that explores the opportunities and challenges arising from the integration of emerging technologies in the finance and insurance sectors [...]
In this study, we examined the influence of users' experiences with the unified payments interface (UPI) system on the usage behavior of central bank digital currency (CBDC) in India. Our research developed a novel conceptual framework that investigated the relationships between technology, cognitive factors, and behavioral intentions towards CBDC...
Dear Colleagues,
We are organizing a special issue on ‘Sustainability Development through Green Economics: Application of Fintech’ at the Journal of Risk and Financial Management (ISSN 1911-8074).
Based on your significant contributions to this field, I think that you or one of your authors could submit a paper to this issue. This Special Issue a...
The aim of this study was to investigate the Granger causality between geopolitical risk (GPR) sub-indices in order to examine the implications of geopolitical risk on ten agricultural commodities classified as softs or grains. The Granger causality test was used to determine the causal relationship between the daily GPR sub-indices and the future...
We explore the current development of the Latvian fintech companies, corresponding challenges, and expected future results. In 2021, we identified 93 fintech companies in Latvia. For these companies, we analyse essential characteristics and performance data. Moreover, we conducted a survey among these companies in the summer of 2021. We received 31...
The cryptocurrency market has enormous growth potential. In this study, the aim is to investigate how the news (shocks) affects cryptocurrency market volatility. This is significant because, while cryptocurrencies are gaining popularity among investors, the market’s extreme volatility discourages some prospective buyers, while also causing large lo...
The vast majority of articles on risk in agile-managed projects fail to adequately address the interplay between the agile methodology, the risk management process, and the elements that ultimately determine the success or failure of the project. Too frequently, processes and models are given undue priority over the human element. The aim of this a...
The current study is primarily concerned with the developments in financial technology, or fintech, that have significantly altered traditional financial systems, focusing on several risk categories that have emerged in the financial technology sector’s digital ecosystem. This paper is a review of existing literature related to the risk landscape i...
Utilizing natural resources wisely, reducing pollution, and taking other environmental factors into account are now critical to the prospects for long-term economic growth and, by extension, sustainable development. We investigate the impact of total natural resource rents (NRR) on India’s GDP in this study. The data sample consists of NRR and GDP...
Agricultural commodity markets are critical to the global economy. This study investigates the price discovery mechanism, lead-lag relationship, and volatility spillover between spot prices on the National Agriculture Market (E-NAM) and futures and spot prices on the National Commodity and Derivative Exchange (NCDEX) in the Indian agricultural comm...
The study’s aim is to investigate how FinTech users’ perceived risk influences their continuance intention to use FinTech services. The new model, which was based on the Expectation Confirmation Model, was created to achieve the study’s aim. The Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model was used to investigate the proposed model and the relati...
Fintech allows investors to explore previously unavailable investment opportunities; it provides new return opportunities while also introducing new risks. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between risk and return in the fintech industry in the Indian stock market. This article is based on market-based research that focuses o...
Digital transformation empowers micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to rethink the way they make decisions and apply technology in meaningful and sustainable ways. The aim of this study is to investigate the main barriers to MSMEs’ sustainable digital transformation, given their global importance and function as the backbone of any...
The synthesis of technology and finance is known as financial technology (Fintech), which brings together two of the biggest industries in harmony. Fintech disruption is a deviation from the norm, resulting in a significant shift in banking services and, as a result, risk. This article aims to investigate how Fintech has influenced recent changes i...
The purpose of this study is to examine whether FinTech companies believe that the growing dependence on regulation represents a potential risk for their development. In 2021, we conducted a survey among Latvian FinTech companies to ascertain their attitude toward regulatory scrutiny. We received 31 responses, representing a 33% response rate. The...
Despite the growing importance of digital transformation, empirical research on the drivers of digital transformation is still lacking, creating a knowledge gap. The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of digital orientation and digital capability on digital transformation, as well as the mediating effect of digital transformation on rev...
The role of financial sector has increased significantly since the 1980s, introducing a new term or phenomenon i.e. the financialization of the economy. There is still some imprecision about the nature and dynamics of financialization, including its impact on the economy. The main task of the financial sector is to allocate funds for its most produ...
The COVID-19 crisis has emphasized the importance of digital transformation of SMEs and has served as an accelerator. Digital transformation empowers SMEs to rethink the way they make decisions and apply technology in meaningful and sustainable ways. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of digital transformation, fostered by COVID-19, a...
The purpose of this study is to identify the necessary public support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and provide policy makers with guidance on how to facilitate a successful digital transformation. The study is based on a representative survey of 425 Latvian SMEs carried out in spring 2021. We combine three analyses: a surv...
The widespread use of digital technologies and the current pandemic (COVID) have fueled the need and call for digital transformation in the banking sector. Although this has various benefits, it is a disruption to the norm to which a bank customer has to become accustomed. This variance means that customers would have to make some changes to their...
Purpose:
To statistically validate the PREM (Pandemic Risk Exposure Measurement) model devised in a previous paper by the authors and determine the model's relationship with the level of current COVID-19 cases (NLCC) and the level of current deaths related to COVID-19 (NLCD) based on the real country data.
Methods:
We used perceived variables pr...
FinTech has been in the focus of discussion for quite some time. However, the market share of FinTech companies is still relatively small compared to that of more traditional financial services. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the status quo, current developments, and challenges ahead for the Latvian FinTech sector. We combine three analyse...
This report provides an overview of the status quo and the challenges that need to be addressed by Latvian SMEs on their digital journey.
FinTech has been in the focus of the discussion for quite some time. However, the market share of FinTech companies is still relatively small in compared to more traditional financial services. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the status quo, current developments and challenges ahead for the Latvian FinTech sector. We combine three analyses:...
Risk is a multifaceted concept, and its identification requires complex approaches that are often misunderstood. The consequence is that decisions are based on limited perception rather than the full value and meaning of what risk is, as a result, the way it is being tackled is incorrect. The individuals are often limited in their perceptions and i...
This study investigates the country-level determinants of liquidity synchronization and degrees of liquidity synchronization during economic growth volatility. As a non-diversifiable risk factor, liquidity co-movement shock spreads market-wide and thus disrupts the overall functioning of the financial market. Firms in Asian markets operate in legal...
The FinTech industry is gradually maturing and offers a wide range of financial services on the global stage. Still, the understanding of FinTech business models remains at its infancy with a shortage of cross-country comparisons. This paper aims to determine the differences in business model attributes of FinTechs in five rapidly emerging FinTech...
This study investigates the country level determinants of liquidity synchronization and degrees of liquidity synchronization during economic growth volatility. As a non-diversifiable risk factor, liquidity co-movement shock spreads market wide and thus disrupts the overall functioning of the financial market. Firms in Asian markets operate in legal...
Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to develop a Pandemic Risk Exposure Measurement (PREM) model to determine the factors that affect a country's prospective vulnerability to a pandemic risk exposure also considering the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods:
To develop the model, drew up an inventory of possible factor variables that might expos...
A decade ago, the financial world was taken by surprise, when prominent credit institutions filed for bankruptcy. The financial crisis phenomena spurred the need for regulating Securitisation and enhancing the capital requirements framework. In response, the Basel Committee initiated the regulatory treatment for the Simple Transparent and Comparabl...
The Baltic life insurance market is a young steadily growing market. It began its development in the early 1990s when all three Baltic States, specifically Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have regained their independence. The Baltic life insurance market is limited due to a relatively small size with approximately six million inhabitants in all thre...
This study provides an overview of the current state and the developments in the Latvian FinTech environment. This is also the first attempt of the research team at the Faculty of Business, Management and Economics of the University of Latvia to explore the Latvian FinTech landscape and increase the visibility of Latvian FinTechs and is part of a l...
Introduction: Stability of commercial banks is on the back stone of a country’s economy and its development, making bank stability one of the main concerns of financial regulators. The bank stability models for large and small economies differ significantly.
Purpose: In this chapter we examine the determinants of bank stability in a small post-tran...
Purpose: The aim of the paper is to develop the approach to a legal definition of FinTech. Design/Methodology/Approach: In this paper we evolve possible approaches of FinTech legal definition, investigate existing approaches at the international level and examine the policies applied at the national levels. Document analysis, as a form of qualitati...
Population ageing and social stratification is widely assumed to have detrimental effects on the economy yet there is little empirical evidence about the magnitude of its effects. The aim of this article is to investigate the relationships between population ageing and social stratification and the state of economy of a small and post-transition ec...
In recent years, international financial centres have become one of the most important elements of the international financial system. Increasing globalization of the world economy raises the role and influence of international financial centres (IFC) due to extending scope of activities of IFC that currently includes financial markets, internation...
The world is surrounded by information. The main source of information is the
mass-media, which helps people better understand the environment. Initially, the written
or the broadcasted press has a considerable input on the public opinion formation, thus
becoming a pillar for transmitting the image intended by the communicator to the users
of the m...
The banking industry is facing huge challenges due to technology-enabled innovation, to changes in customer preferences, to bank de-risking and to new regulatory initiatives. To go through all these changes, banks need to be stable. The present study contributes to the empirical literature by identifying the determinants of stability of banks in th...
This article analyses the ways how companies operating in EU countries attract alternative financial resources. The importance of non-traditional, alternative/innovative financing is gaining recognition in both developed and emerging economies throughout the world. SMEs' financing in Europe remains primarily bank based, in spite of many policies pr...
The attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) is usually an economic policy priority due to its positive effects on economic growth because of new capital and technology, higher employment, new management practices, improvements in the quality of services, as well as innovation and lower production costs. This paper aims to assess the investmen...
How the banking business model in Latvia changes? What are the main forces determining these changes? What group of banks in the retail banking sector has had more intensive changes during the last three to five years? Are banks feeling competition from the FinTech companies and realising a more flexible and focused policy or are they continuing to...
In this paper, we attempt to explore why banks possessing free assets and willingness to lend, on the one side, and businesses lacking money, on the other side, do not meet. We are looking for answers why all EU initiatives for more available funding for SMEs still haven't resulted positively and loan growth rate is more than modest. The empirical...
The assessment of systemic risk is problematic in small open economies with developing financial markets. Latvia is one of such economies. This study evaluates systemic risk qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative evaluation is done creating timeline with events that determine the level of systemic risk. During years 2000-2016 several factors...
In this paper we are looking for answers: are domestic companies operating in small market economies such as the Baltics with little or no direct foreign involvement also at risk, taking into account that our companies mainly as a mean of exchange are using euro. The aim of this study is to examine the foreign exchange rate exposure of domestic cor...
The availability of funding is one of the key problems in the small and medium-sized business not only in Europe, but also all over the world economic space. The lack of funds results in the starvation of the economy preventing it from full-fledged development. The aim of the research is by developing the profiles of SMEs to analyse the factors tha...
The importance of non-traditional alternative/innovative financing is gaining recognition in both developed and emerging economies throughout the world (OECD, 2012; EC, 2013; ECB, 2013; ECB, 2014). SME financing in Europe remains primarily bank based, in spite of the many policies proposed to develop alternative financing instruments (e.g. adopting...
Access to finance is considered one of the main obstacles to successful financial market development. Access to finance was second-ranked most pressing problem faced by companies in the Euro Area and one of the main barriers to company's innovation capacity. The study results highlight the need to recognize that countries require sound and well-fun...
Alternative financing for small business can help companies whose owners can’t get traditional financing resources as small business loans, overdrafts and personal credit cards. New companies typically seek alternative financing when their companies have not been in business long enough to establish credit profiles with financial institutions. Acce...
Access to finance represents one of the most significant challenges for SMEs’ entrepreneurs. To ensure SMEs creation, existence and growth it is vitally important to understand the financing needs of SMEs and entrepreneurs, the main obstacles to finance availability and accessibility. The study indicates the difficulties in SMEs financing for the t...
The present paper is an attempt to integrate financial market instability and corporate finance in a dynamic setup. The results of the study highlight that financial market instability, tangibility, and profitability have a negative impact on leverage of the firm, whereas assets growth has a positive effect.
Purpose of this research is by analysing different issues relating to the measurement and management of currency risk exposure to define an innovative approach to the management of foreign exchange risk. Design/methodology/approach – During development of the paper the generally accepted qualitative and quantitative methods of economic research wer...