Mitigating Psychic Distance and Enhancing Internationalization of Fintech SMEs from Emerging Markets: The Role of Board of Directors

Prior research suggests that corporate boards and directors play important roles in firm strategy performance. In this paper, we examine an yet under-explored avenue focus on their role overcoming the multilevel psychic distance (PD) faced by internationalizing small medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) originating from emerging market. Analysing Indian Fintech SMEs, using multiple case studies, our findings reveal contribute network-level resources knowledge about foreign markets, which turn assists SMEs mitigating PD. We demonstrate human social capital of important, distinctly different, PD at pre- post-internationalization phases. At pre-internationalization phase, directors’ prior international industry experience, as well board interlocks connections, are most valuable, whereas post-entry transnational boards, those with stronger trust-based personal relationships (i.e. greater depth capital, facilitate faster experiential learning. Taken together, novel insights into mechanisms through affect outcomes firms operating, from, extreme institutional environments. Further, draw implications for practice.