DIGITAL TRUST AND THE USE OF FINTECH BANKING SERVICES EVIDENCE FROM WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN NAMAKKAL DISTRICT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/ijetmr.v12.i2.2025.1720Keywords:
Digital Trust, Fintech Adoption, Women Entrepreneurs, Namakkal Distric, Digital Banking Services, Financial Inclusion, UPI Payments, Mobile Banking, Perceived SecurityAbstract
The expansion of digital financial services in India has created new opportunities for women entrepreneurs, yet the pace of adoption continues to vary significantly across regions. This study examines how digital trust influences the usage of FinTech banking services among women entrepreneurs in Namakkal district, a region known for its dynamic microenterprise ecosystem. The analysis is based on data collected from 280 women entrepreneurs and investigates key variables including digital trust, perceived security, system reliability, and FinTech usage behaviour. The study employs descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression to understand how trust-related constructs shape digital financial engagement.
The results reveal that digital trust has a strong positive relationship with FinTech usage (r = .66, p < .001). Women who perceive digital banking systems as reliable, secure, and transparent are significantly more likely to engage in activities such as UPI payments, mobile banking, online fund transfers, and digital credit applications. Regression findings further demonstrate that digital trust is the strongest predictor of FinTech usage among all examined variables, with the overall model explaining 46 percent of the variance in digital financial behaviour. ANOVA results indicate age-based differences, with younger entrepreneurs displaying higher levels of usage, reflecting generational differences in technology readiness.
The study highlights the central role of trust in shaping digital financial inclusion and suggests the need for enhanced cyber-awareness initiatives, clearer communication by financial institutions, and simplified user interfaces to strengthen trust and reliability perceptions among rural women entrepreneurs. The findings contribute to the growing literature on behavioural determinants of FinTech adoption in emerging economies.
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