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Purpose – This study makes an integrated approach in identifying the factors affecting usage intention of mobile-based payment services. Such services are being marketed aggressively by cellular service providers and are different from usual mobile-based banking. The study incorporates prominent factors like the technical characteristics, technology-specific characteristics, user-specific characteristics, and task-specific characteristics and others from published literature. The purpose of this paper is to highlight those factors which have significant impact on the adoption of such service so that the adoption rate can be increased. Design/methodology/approach – A nationwide primary survey was conducted using validated questionnaire requesting response for the factors obtained from published literature. In total, 196 respondents participated in the survey. Totally, 11 hypotheses were formulated and statistically tested for their significance in context to the study. Confirmatory study was on the significant factors and a model has been proposed. Findings – The study finds that factors like perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, system quality, connectivity, discomfort, task-technology fit and structural assurance have significant impact on the usage intention of mobile money services whereas factors such as perceived monetary value, absorptive capacity and personal innovativeness have been found to be insignificant. Originality/value – There have been no studies conducted which reported mobile-based transfer payment adoption issues where-in the transfer mechanism is independent of formal banking. The findings would be beneficial for service providers of mobile-based payment services to understand their subscribers and roll out value added services.

PurposeThis study employs an interpretivist approach to investigate how blockchain technology can transform the remittance industry.Design/methodology/approachWe collected data from blockchain experts with extensive experience, compellingly demonstrating the revolutionary impact of blockchain technology on the remittance sector.FindingsDespite experiencing rapid growth, the global remittance sector still faces challenges such as high costs and lengthy transaction times. However, blockchain technology, known for disrupting emerging industries, offers a decentralized and secure mechanism for containing, storing and managing information. By leveraging rapid block confirmations, blockchain reduces settlement times in remittance transactions, enabling value transfers between parties with just a crypto wallet.Research limitations/implicationsThe implications of this study are profound for theorists, as it validates existing theoretical frameworks, identifies specific pain points and explores exciting opportunities presented by blockchain technology. Additionally, we provide a roadmap for future research and innovation, bridging theory and practice and setting the stage for advancement, fostering knowledge, innovation and the successful integration of blockchain technology in the remittance industry.Originality/valueAnalysis highlights a unanimous consensus among experts regarding the transformative potential of blockchain technology in the remittance industry. This consensus serves as a strong impetus for practitioners to swiftly adopt blockchain-based solutions, capitalizing on opportunities such as stable coin issuance, elimination of intermediaries in foreign exchange trading, access to liquidity and the exploration of new business models. Successfully addressing challenges like congestion and limited reach will ensure seamless integration.

We estimate and test the restrictions of a collective model of household consumption, usingz-conditional demands, in the context of a large conditional cash transfer program in rural Mexico. The model can explain the impacts of the program on the structure of food consumption. We use two plausible and novel distribution factors: the random allocation of a cash transfer to women and the relative size and wealth of the husband’s and wife’s family networks. Our structure does better at predicting the effect of exogenous increases in household income than an alternative, unitary, structure. We cannot reject efficiency of household decisions.

This article is about the economics of migrant remittances sent to developing countries. I review the overall magnitude of remittances and what current research reveals about the motivations for migrant remittances and what effects they have. I discuss field experimental evidence on migrant desires for control over the uses of their remittances. I highlight some key distinctive characteristics of remittances—such as their high frequency and relatively small individual magnitudes—as well as recent experimental evidence on the effect of reductions in remittance transaction fees, and outline a research agenda on the microeconomics of remittance decision making. Finally, I discuss what the future holds for remittances, considering aggregate trends but also approaches likely to be taken by international development agencies, national governments, the private sector, and academic economists.

We explore which financial constraints matter most in the choice of becoming an entrepreneur. We consider a randomly assigned welfare programme in rural Mexico and show that cash transfers significantly increase entry into entrepreneurship. We then exploit cross-household variation in the timing of these transfers and find that current occupational choices are significantly more responsive to the transfers expected for the future than to those currently received. Guided by a simple occupational choice model, we argue that the programme has promoted entrepreneurship by enhancing willingness to bear risk as opposed to simply relaxing current liquidity constraints.

Innovation in digital technology has changed the way firms make business. The objective of this paper is to analyse the effect of mobile money adoption on the performance of informal businesses in Zambia. The data are from the 2019 Zambia Informal Sector Business Survey of the World Bank Group with a sample of 914 firms. An instrumental variable bivariate probit model was used to analyse the data. We find that mobile money use helps significantly improve informal business performance. The finding is robust for different purposes of mobile money use. These results can be attributed to the lower transaction costs and the improved liquidity related to the use of mobile money financial services. An important policy implication is that the use of digital technologies such as mobile money could be a key element for improving informal business performance.

Many organizations are undergoing digital transformation. However, literature often assumes a substantial influence from consumers, competitors, technology institutions, and organizational resource endowment. These assumptions may not necessarily apply to the digital transformation initiatives in Sub-Saharan Africa and other low-income economies. In response to the call for research to challenge the unexamined assumptions of digital transformation and develop contextualized theoretical contributions, this study explores the processes, enablers, inhibitors, and outcomes of digital transformation through a case study of a bank in Ethiopia (henceforth EtBank). Over the past decade, EtBank has transformed from a cash-intensive, branch-based, brick-and-mortar bank to a digital bank offering niche mobile money services, conducting most retail transactions electronically, and contributing to digital financial inclusion. All of this augurs well for future change. Based on insights from EtBank's experience, the study presents a process theory that frames digital transformation as deeply influenced by historical and contextual factors, the interaction between organizational capabilities and frugal innovation, and the role of institutions as enablers and inhibitors. The study contributes to the literature on responsible and government-led digital transformation, underscoring the significance of historicity and context in the process. Additionally, it offers valuable guidance for other organizations embarking on similar digital transformation journeys.

The financial market as a whole and its infrastructure with payment instruments, in particular, are undergoing a transformation stage under the influence of such external factors as: the dynamics of consumer demand, changes in the state system and business environment. Digital technologies and initiatives implemented by regulators play an important role in this improvement process. Russia is among the top ten leading countries that demonstrate progress in the growth of cashless payments and the penetration of fintech into settlement algorithms. The growth of public confidence in new types of payment instruments largely predetermines the market prospects and its development trends for the coming years.

To attain high level of customer satisfaction, financial sector is now placing much importance on service quality and superior customer value (Ahmed, College, Rayhan, Islam, & Mahjabin, 2011). Since success of a firm is dependent upon new and innovative services and how much the firm is determined in providing superior customer value, therefore, perceived value plays role of an important mediator between customer attitude, trust and satisfaction (Amin, Rahman, Rahim, & Abdul-Razak, 2013). According to business ethics are the principles that address any ethical issues that arise from business practices. According to Roman and Ruiz (2005), retailers must show ethical behavior when interacting with customers, as this will contribute towards building long-term relationship and customer satisfaction.

This paper investigates the impact of workers’ remittances on economic growth of four South Asian emerging countries by employing balanced panel data from 1977 to 2016. Pooled OLS, fixed effects, random effects and dummy variable interaction models are used to estimate the impact of remittances. The empirical regression analysis confirms a negative effect of remittances on economic growth in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Conversely, remittances have a positive impact on economic growth in India. This study also indicates a joint significant and negative relationship between remittances and economic growth in four countries.