Barriers and Enablers to Fintech Adoption for Financial Inclusion Among Urban Slum Residents

Fintech can reduce transaction costs, widen access to payments, savings, and insurance, and strengthen resilience for low-income households. Yet adoption and sustained use remain uneven among residents of urban slums. This study investigates the barriers and enablers of fintech adoption and meaningful use through an integrated framework that combines technology adoption theory (UTAUT2) with a capability lens. A sequential mixed-methods design is proposed: qualitative interviews to surface lived constraints and product-fit issues, followed by a representative survey of urban slum residents. Key constructs include perceived usefulness, effort expectancy, trust, perceived risk, social influence, digital and financial literacy, facilitating conditions (devices, data, electricity, connectivity), ecosystem quality (agent density and liquidity, merchant acceptance, interoperability), and policy frictions (ID/KYC). We test six hypotheses using multilevel logistic models, count models for usage intensity, and mediation/moderation analysis. Based on the literature, we anticipate that trust, social influence, low-friction onboarding (digital ID/e-KYC), reliable agent networks, and product fit with irregular cash flows are decisive for sustained use, with stronger effects for women and migrants once access constraints are addressed. The study contributes a practical evidence-informed roadmap for inclusive product design and policy, moving beyond account opening to safe, beneficial use.