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The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of mobile money access on internal remittances received, per capita consumption expenditure and welfare of household in Ghana.

The study used data from the latest round of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 7) and employed the propensity score matching technique to estimate average treatment effect between users and non-users of mobile money transfer services.

The study finds that using mobile money is welfare enhancing, particularly for poor households and the channel by which it impacts on welfare is through higher internal remittances received and per capita expenditure. The results from the average treatment effect indicate that mobile money users receive significantly higher remittances and consequently spend averagely higher on consumption than non-users.

Although the data employed in this study is limited to one country, the findings support the financial inclusion role and developmental impact of mobile money transfer services. Hence, mobile money transfer services should be promoted and facilitated by the telecommunication and financial sector regulators.

In addition to making original contribution to the literature on the welfare impact of mobile money, the study's use of the propensity score matching is unique.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of fintech, mobile money and digital financial services in Uganda and factors impacting adoption of the services. The study will also determine their social impact through financial inclusion in the Ugandan market.

This study covers the adoption and use of fintech, mobile money and digital financial services in Uganda. A case study approach was used through a survey questionnaire for 400 randomly selected participants within the Kampala region. Questionnaire was designed to measure customer perception of digital financial services and adoption including mobile money and agency banking.

The adoption of mobile money services is driven by mobile devices penetration and the need for access to financial products and services for the unbanked. Results support CGAP (2013) that observed that mobile money adoption was based on two key variables: social network and social interactions of the customer and a segment of customers who can be described as mobile technology leaders (early adopters). There has been positive impact on person to person transfers, grocery payments and mobile money providers have to continue to simplify the access to financial services and bring convenience to the bottom of the pyramid. And mobile money positively impacts sustainable developmental goals covering Gender Equality (SDG5), SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; expanding financial inclusion through mobile money and SDG 10 – Reduce Inequalities.

This study has limitations commonly prevalent with qualitative research, including the small size limited to Kampala and challenges of making generalisations beyond this context.

The paper might serve as a valuable source of information for government and fintech companies in developing the digital financial services ecosystem as well as for students and academics for further case studies in this area.

This paper serves as one of the first qualitative research papers concerning mobile money and digital financial services adoption, solely focused on Uganda. Its value is in its showcasing of the importance of mobile money among customers in emerging markets.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the use of the mobile money technology among students affects their spending behaviour.

The study reports interesting findings by using a random sample of 506 students from the University of Ghana and applying ordinary least squares regression technique.

The findings suggest that active use of mobile money services has significant influence on students spending behaviour. On a monthly basis, students who use mobile money spend on the average 20 Ghana Cedis more than their colleagues who do not use mobile money. Students who use both mobile money and ATMs jointly spend nearly 13 Ghana Cedis more than their counterparts who use either of them.

The implication of this finding is that mobile money technology which provides easy access to money can increase spending behaviour of students and reduce the tendency of savings. The authors therefore conclude that although technological growth should not be curtailed given the numerous benefits technology accrues to society, its use must be controlled, in particular, when it comes to using it as a medium of exchange so as to minimize the negative influences (such as indiscriminate spending).

This paper studies the post-adoption behavioural responses of mobile money users particularly among students in Africa which is rare in the literature.

This study investigates the possible effect of mobile money services, which forms part of FinTech, in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This study uses field data from the Chongwe district of Zambia. The data were collected in 2019.

The findings strongly suggest that (1) the factors that hinder access to credit and savings by the poor do not simply recede following the adoption of mobile money services and (2) that mobile money is not a silver bullet of ending financial exclusion but merely a tool which contributes to other financial inclusion strategies.

This study argues that mobile money is winning the battle but losing the war – implying that the service is mainly used to transfer funds (OTC transactions) among users.

This is the first study to have been conducted in Zambia to assess the possible contributing effect of FinTech (mobile money) on SDGs.

Recently, a large body of research has been devoted on the role of trust in shaping different types of transactions, especially in rural financial development. Trust is a set of expectations shared by all those who engage in an exchange. Indeed, the “rule of the game” suggests that no trusting party in a transaction should act opportunistically. Consequently, this study aims to establish the mediating effect of trust in the relationship between mobile money adoption and usage and financial inclusion of MSMEs in developing countries with a specific focus on rural Uganda.

A quantitative survey-based study was used and responses obtained from 379 MSMEs located in northern Uganda were analysed using partial least square-PLS version 3.0. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed from scales and items used in previous studies referenced in internationally recognised journals to elicit responses from the MSMEs. Structural equation modelling was used to test the models to arrive at a final empirical model derived from the data.

The authors found evidence that trust enhances mobile money adoption and usage to increase the scope of financial inclusion of MSMEs in developing countries. Moreover, when individual effect was determined, trust also had significant and positive effect on financial inclusion. Thus, the study results imply that trust enhances mobile money adoption and usage to improve the level of financial inclusion of MSMEs in developing countries.

The study used cross-sectional data to document the relationship between mobile money adoption and usage and financial inclusion and to establish the mediating effect of trust in the relationship. Future research could use relevant longitudinal data to verify other benefits of trust.

The results present trust as a significant factor for FINTECH financial services marketing and growth. Specifically, data privacy and effectiveness of the mobile telephone network is more likely to help consumers to bridge the gap between participation and non-participation on the mobile money platform. Customers’ data sent over the mobile network of providers should be protected from unnecessary access and usage by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) staff and unauthorised persons and agents. Data protection protocols should be set by the MNOs to avoid unnecessary access and use of customers’ data.

Globally, Fintech scholars have examined the role of mobile money in promoting financial inclusion. However, there is insufficient evidence on the mediating effect of trust in the relationship between mobile money adoption and usage and financial inclusion, especially among rural MSMEs. This study invents a novel direction on the importance of trust in creating transaction efficiency by eliminating opportunism and fraud with in the Fintech ecosystem.

Premised on the assertion that financial digitalization is currently the panacea and game changer in delivering progress towards the sustainable development goals (SDGs) through universal financial inclusion, especially in developing countries, the purpose of this paper is to establish the moderating effect of transaction tax exemptions in the relationship between mobile money adoption and usage and financial inclusion.

A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 379 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which use mobile money services drawn from the Northern District of Gulu in Uganda to provide responses for this study. The predictive relevancy and the effect size of the model were determined by running partial least square algorithm through structural equation model (SEM) with 5,000 bootstrap samples in SmartPLS-SEM 3.0.

The findings indicated that all the latent variables of transaction tax exemptions showed significant and positive impact on mobile money adoption and usage to advance financial inclusion in developing countries. Moreover, when combined together, the overall SEM predictive model revealed a significant moderating effect of transaction tax exemptions in the relationship between mobile money adoption and usage and financial inclusion. This implies that transaction tax exemptions on digital financial innovations such as the mobile money services can stimulate economic growth through increased level of financial inclusion labeled as the main enabler in achieving the SDGs by the year 2030.

Whereas data were collected from users of mobile money services, the samples were drawn specifically from MSMEs’ owners located in the Northern District of Gulu in Uganda. Thus, users located in other districts were not included in the sample for this study. Similarly, this study limited itself to only financial services offered through the mobile money platform. It ignored other digital financial channels such as the internet and electronic banking.

Going forward, in order to improve the economic well-being of households at the “bottom of the pyramid,” governments in developing countries should embrace the significant role of transaction tax exemptions in promoting digital financial innovations such as the mobile money services for increased level of financial inclusion. The governments in developing countries where mobile money has greatly spurred financial inclusion should not only reduce the existing transaction taxes on mobile money services but scrap it off in order to champion progressive increase in the level of universal financial inclusion prescribed as a key enabler in eliminating global poverty, especially in developing countries.

This study hints on the moderating effect of transaction tax exemptions in the relationship between mobile money adoption and usage and financial inclusion. The paradox in the current trends on transaction taxes on mobile money services, especially in developing countries remain a dearth in the nascent global FINTECH ecosystem.

Mobile money, a service permitting monetary value to be digitally stored in a mobile phone and transacted to others through text messaging, is increasingly becoming available in several African countries including Eswatini. This study examines the factors associated with mobile money usage and the extent to which mobile money accelerates financial inclusion in Eswatini.

Data were collected from the nationally representative FinScope Consumer Survey for Eswatini conducted in 2014. The authors use a quasi-experimental method in propensity score matching (PSM) with bootstrapped standard errors to alleviate the possibility of selection bias associated with mobile money use and bank account ownership. As a sensitivity check, the authors calculate the average treatment effect (ATE) using kernel-based matching methods, as well as estimate a multilevel model that accounts for the hierarchical structure of data.

The authors found that higher education, entrepreneurship, being female, improvement in work situation in the past year and living in urban area and in the Lubombo region all positively influence the probability to use mobile money. The results also show that individuals who use mobile money are 19% more likely to own a bank account at a formal financial institution with a higher probability estimate observed amongst rural residents.

This study examines whether mobile money accelerates financial inclusion in Eswatini. On analysing data from the 2014 FinScope Consumer Survey, the results show that mobile money does not seem to be accelerating the reach of financial services to those who are structurally excluded from the formal financial system and suggest the need for ongoing review of the financial inclusion strategies of the country to enhance access to financial services in underserved areas.

The peer review history for this article is available at:https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-12-2019-0723

This paper seeks to examine the motivating factors that propel people to use mobile money in the Greater Accra Region (GAR) of Ghana. The authors posit that the behaviour of a person, in terms of the choice and means of transaction, cannot be explained solely by utility-maximizing assumptions or rationality. Thus, other socio-cultural and psychological factors are crucial in determining whether a person will use mobile money.

This study uses a cross-sectional design to obtain primary data on 733 households from the GAR of Ghana to determine the drivers of mobile money use. Given the binary nature of the dependent variable, a logit model and its marginal effects are estimated. Furthermore, parametric and non-parametric statistical tests are used to examine gender effect and mobile money use.

The study finds that technology savvy cohorts (youthful age cohorts), available services such as phone credit recharge, education and income are among the key determinants of mobile money use in Ghana. Furthermore, parametric and non-parametric tests of mobile money use on gender show a statistically significant difference in gender use of mobile money, albeit, marginal. The findings imply that consistent use of mobile money to access social and economic services can go a long way in promoting financial inclusion, financial empowerment and general wellbeing of people.

Households in developing countries especially Ghana have rapidly embraced mobile money technology. However, what determines the household level of adoption, to the best of our knowledge, is unknown and yet to be tested. This study bridges that gap in the empirical literature as well as contributes to policy decisions.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-05-2020-0271

This paper aims to explore the extent to which low‐income migrant workers in emerging Asia are aware of and are likely to use mobile phones for remitting money to family members at home.

Data were obtained through a survey of 1,500+ local and overseas migrant workers at the bottom of the socio‐economic pyramid and subsequent qualitative research in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Thailand.

Findings reveal that less than a quarter of respondents in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were aware of such services. However, the Philippines and Thailand reported awareness of levels of over 40 percent. Using a logit model to assess socio‐economic characteristics of those aware of such services (versus those who are not), findings revealed those aware of such services tended to enjoy higher standards of living, in terms of both income and education and ownership of mobile phones and bank accounts. Barriers to use are also explored.

This study is likely one of the first of its kind in attempting to empirically estimate socio‐economic characteristics of those aware of such services versus those who are not. Such findings can, undoubtedly prove useful to operators in deciding how best to market such services, including addressing potential barriers to use, such as perceived ease of use and trust and reliability issues.

The purpose of this paper is to respond to some challenges in the transition to sustainable development goals by examining the correlations between mobile and inclusive development (quality of growth, poverty and inequality) in 93 developing countries for the year 2011.

Mobile money service entails: “mobile used to pay bills” and “mobile used to receive/send money.” Interactive ordinary least squares are employed.

The following findings are established. First, increasing use of the mobile phones to pay bills is positively linked to “quality of growth” in lower-middle-income countries and negatively correlated with inequality in Latin American countries. Second, growing use of mobile phones to send/receive money is negatively associated with poverty in Asia and Pacific and Central and Eastern Europe.

Macroeconomic data on mobile money service are scarce. No study to the best of our knowledge has used this macroeconomic mobile money service data before.