Determinants of mobile money use by the informal sector in a developing economy

Abstract

Financial inclusion has been enhanced by the use of mobile money in the informal sector in many countries since the turn of the millennium, mostly by increasing financial use by the previously unbanked and those working in the informal sector. The study was motivated by the fact that there is an increase in mobile money use in the informal sector, and therefore, it ought to present the major determinants of mobile money use in Harare’s informal sector by traders operating in this sector. There is a need to look at the determinants of mobile money use by informal traders, as the transactions reported in this sector are significant to the economy. Data was collected from five districts within Harare using a questionnaire that was drawn from a simple random sample among 273 informal traders. A logistics regression model was used for the study model estimation. The findings were that gender, cost, awareness and group membership significantly determine mobile money use by informal traders in the sampled districts in Harare. Results obtained confirmed a priori economic expectations concerning variables in the chosen model. The significant variables were recommended to policymakers, new players intending to offer mobile money services and existing mobile money service providers. There is a need to understand the determinants of mobile money use by informal traders in order to produce relevant policies that further enhance financial inclusion.