Predicting FinTech App Adoption Intentions in Digitally Constrained Contexts: A Trust-Based Structural Model

Abstract

This study examines FinTech adoption among low-literacy users in Saudi Arabia’s emerging regions by proposing and testing the Intermediated Trust–Risk Adoption (ITRA) Model, which integrates digital resilience, agent support, trust, and perceived risk. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 424 respondents in semi-urban and rural Saudi Arabia. The model was validated using Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM). Digital resilience and agent support significantly enhance trust, which in turn drives FinTech adoption intention. Perceived risk negatively influences adoption. Trust mediates the resilience–adoption relationship, and a serial mediation path from usability through resilience and trust is also supported. The study is context-specific and based on self-reported data; future research could explore longitudinal effects or comparative regional analysis. The findings offer insights for designing inclusive, trust-sensitive FinTech solutions that account for cognitive and emotional constraints. This study extends digital inclusion research by theorising the roles of intermediation, trust, and resilience in FinTech adoption among marginalised populations.

Keywords: FinTech adoption, Low-literacy users, Digital resilience, Perceived risk, Trust in technology