Recalibrating the scope of financial inclusion through financial technologies in the digital age: the role of digital literacy as a moderator in rural Uganda

This study examines the interaction effect of digital literacy in the relationship between financial technologies (FinTechs) of biometrics and mobile money and digital financial inclusion among unbanked poor women, youth and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in rural Uganda. Using covariance-based structural equation modeling with data from Uganda’s four regions, the findings reveal that digital literacy positively moderates the relationship between FinTechs and digital financial inclusion. The results show that both biometrics identification and mobile money positively promote digital financial inclusion, with the combination explaining 29% variation in digital financial inclusion among the target population.