CER researchers debate FinFluencers
In an international opinion article, the phenomenon of financial influencers (so-called FinFluencers) is discussed, and also why their advice should be approached with caution.
The article highlights Sweden as a rapidly growing market for financial investments, which can enhance households’ long-term financial security while simultaneously increasing their exposure to financial risks. The rising demand for financial guidance has led to almost unlimited access to unregulated advice, with younger generations increasingly turning to profiled FinFluencers who share tips on stocks, investing, and personal finance.
At the same time, the article observes that many FinFluencers come from backgrounds in digital marketing, lifestyle blogging, or entertainment rather than finance, and therefore often lack formal training and ethically grounded financial responsibility. More critically, this trend risks evolving into a structural market failure, as social media algorithms tend to commercialize financial information and amplify speculative behaviour. Such unregulated information environments have previously contributed to unintended economic consequences, as illustrated by episodes such as the GameStop event.
The article is authored by Mustafa Nourallah, Anna-Karin Stockenstrand and Peter Öhman from the Centre for Research on Economic Relations (CER) at Mid Sweden University, together with Imtiaz Sifat from Radboud University.
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