Fostering Financial Inclusion in a Developing Country

Abstract

Financial inclusion is a vital development priority for countries worldwide. Mobile wallet (m-wallet) is considered as a disruptive payment method that will substitute the traditional physical wallet to achieve the so-called cashless society and enables financial inclusion. This study aims at developing and testing a research model that integrates a set of technology factors (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, fun to use, monetary value), external factors (peer influence and perceived status benefit), and cultural factors (humane orientation and societal collectivism) to assess the intention to adopt and use m-wallet, for financial inclusion, in a developing country. The proposed conceptual model is tested using data collected from 621 m-wallet users in Cameroon. The model explains 47.5% of the variance of the actual use of m-wallet and 32.90% of the variance of financial inclusion. Eight out of the 10 proposed hypotheses were supported. Finally, implications for research and practice are discussed.