Access to financial services from financial institutions has often proved to be one of the major constraints to rural and smallholder agricultural development in Zimbabwe. However, the ICT revolution across the world leading to the development of branchless banking options has brought new financial inclusion opportunities in the rural areas. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of branchless banking in smallholder agriculture through investigating the user patterns and adoption rate of mobile banking by rural farmers in Zimbabwe. Zvimba District was used as the case study while mobile banking was the branchless banking option investigated. The study also sought to investigate the barriers to adoption of mobile banking, in addition to laying out the difference between traditional banking channels and mobile banking. A survey through a structured interview with rural smallholder farmers was the main means of data collection. The data collected was then used to quantify the adoption of mobile banking, the barriers to adoption, and the alternative financial service providers used in rural areas, making it possible to draw conclusions for the purposes of policy formulation. The findings from the study revealed a high rate of adoption of mobile banking among the rural people. According to the study, even though mobile banking was cheaper and more accessible, traditional banking channels were still cited as being an important need for rural people. The significant factors investigated as creating barriers to adoption of mobile banking included age, education, income, marital status and farming experience, while factors such as gender and farm size proved to be insignificant. In light of the findings, it was recommended that besides transactional uses, branchless banking should be further developed and enhanced to provide other services such as insurance services and credit needed by smallholder farmers. Furthermore, in order to enhance customer uptake, mobile network operators (MNOs) were recommended to consider a segmentation approach when extending services to appropriate segments in rural areas. / Dissertation (MInst (Agrar))--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / MInst (Agrar) / Unrestricted

In developed countries, the business environment is highly saturated, with large numbers of banks, and mobile network operators. As a result, customers have a range of options in choosing preferential services providers. In Africa, most countries have dissimilar business environments; however, some countries have paved new frontiers in enabling access to financial services mainly through mobile banking services.In South Africa, a different situation prevails even though in certain instances the business environment is more advanced than other African countries. Over the past five years, South Africa reported upward trends in real income for LSM1-5 (living standard measure), and the number of mobile subscribers per household. Conversely, it also reported 60:40 ratios between the number of mobile subscribers and bank account holders with an expectation that the gap will grow further if key fundamentals are not revised in the banking sector.This research explored mobile banking capabilities required to serve the unbanked market of South Africa; and in doing so highlight the prospects of financial inclusion towards social and economic development, particularly when the firm seeks to offer products and services, which are reflective of the demographics of this country.Thus, as an exploratory study, it was necessary to gain insights from experts involved in designing, co-ordinating, and delivering mobile banking products and services. As a result, the research noted gaps in the products and services being offered across the different market segments. It also noted that in addressing these gaps; the banking sector requires participation from other key role players, such as the mobile network operators, regulator, and government. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This aim of this study was to establish if individual characteristics have an impact on the adoption of cellphone banking amongst low-income (Mzansi) consumers. The second component of the study then set out to assess the impact that cellphone banking adoption has on the financial behaviour of these consumers. This data was obtained using the data mining technique. Data from one of the local banks was extracted and analysed. In addition to using descriptive statistics, the ANOVA was used. The ANOVA is an inferential statistical method. It establishes whether there is a relationship with the defined variable and the adoption of cellphone banking. Race, age, income, gender, number of bank products and channel of registration where the variables that were analysed. With the exception of age, no other variable had an impact on adoption for both Mzansi customers as well as the entire base. The subsequent post adoption behaviour analysis that was conducted identified some key behaviour changes. Consumers who adopted cellphone banking significantly increased (>300%) their demand of prepaid products. Secondly, the demand for cash amongst adopters was lower than the demand from non-adopters which could signal a shift towards cashless solutions. And finally, the cellphone banking adopters were found to perform more transactions prior to adoption when compared to non adopters thereby demonstrating a higher need for a mobile banking solution. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Yes / Mobile banking is one of the most promising technologies that has emerged in recent years and could prove to have considerable value to both banks and customers. Thus, this study recognises the need to test the main factors that could predict the use of mobile banking as well as how using such a system could contribute to both customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The conceptual model of this study combines two models (i.e. UTAUT2 and the D&M IS Success Model). A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect the required data from convenience sampling of Saudi bank customers. The main factors – performance expectancy, price value, facilitating conditions, hedonic motivation, habit, system quality and service quality – were found to have a significant impact on actual use behaviour. This study was cross-sectional, therefore future studies should implement longitudinal studies in order to re-collect the findings. Further, this study adopted convenience sampling of Saudi M-Banking users. This may adversely impact the issue of generalisability to the whole population. The gap in the M-Banking literature in Saudi Arabia would be bridged by proposing a comprehensive conceptual model that scrupulously clarifies the use of M-Banking from the perspective of Saudi users. Furthermore, this study would consider the adoption of numeric data in order to inferentially analyse them using SEM. This in turn would assist in generalising the findings to the whole Saudi population.

Yes / This study aimed to examine the key factors predicting Jordanian consumers’ intentions and usage of three types of self-service banking technologies. This study also sought to test if the impacts of these main predictors could be moderated by channel type. This study proposed a conceptual model by integrating factors from the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), along with perceived risk. The required data were collected from a convenience sample of Jordanian banking customers using a survey questionnaire. The statistical results strongly support the significant influence of performance expectancy, social influence, and perceived risk on customer intentions for the three types of SSTs examined. The results of the X2 differences test also indicate that there are significant differences in the influence of the main predictors due to the moderating effect of channel type. One of the key contributions of this study is that three types of SSTs were tested in a single study, which had not been done before, leading to the identification of the factors common to all three types, as well as the salient factors unique to each type.

Um fato relacionado ao uso de telefones celulares para realizar transferência de recursos e pagamento de obrigações é o seu crescimento acelerado ao redor do mundo, com potencial econômico inquestionável. Projeções otimistas sugerem a substituição de instrumentos de pagamentos tradicionais como os cheques de papel e os cartões de plástico pelos instrumentos de pagamentos móveis. A despeito da relevância das organizações e setores envolvidos, poucos trabalhos teóricos e empíricos focaram no tema, especialmente para o Brasil, onde a referida inovação ainda não atingiu patamar de penetração equivalente a de outros países. Com esse baixo desempenho como cenário, quais os fatores internos às organizações ou ambientais seriam mais importantes ao desenvolvimento dessas inovações? Objetivando responder essa pergunta, este trabalho realizou um estudo de caso com três iniciativas de inovação em instrumentos de pagamentos móveis tipificadas como de sucesso em seus países, i.e., Alipay da China, M-Pesa do Quênia e Nubank do Brasil. Com base em determinantes potenciais selecionados na literatura, as informações e dados das empresas e de seus ambientes foram capturados, selecionados e analisados. De maneira complementar, realizou-se a triangulação das informações dos casos com os resultados de um questionário enviado a 43 especialistas de organizações privadas e públicas, com dados analisados pelo modelo de equações estruturais. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que, embebidos em um ambiente regulatório não restritivo, três fatores se associaram ao desenvolvimento de instrumentos de pagamentos móveis, todos relacionados a qualidades dos recursos e da gestão das organizações. O primeiro é o de que organizações com características orgânicas, com comunicação aberta e poder descentralizado, em oposição a organizações de estrutura mecanicista, fechadas e burocráticas, estão associadas ao desenvolvimento da oferta de instrumentos de pagamentos móveis. O segundo fator está integrado à oferta de serviços múltiplos e complementares em um mesmo sistema e sugere a disponibilidade conjunta tanto de serviços de pagamentos móveis como os típicos de mobile banking. O terceiro sugere a adoção de rede antecedente como estratégia para entrada e obtenção de massa crítica mínima, em alternativa ao crescimento vegetativo adotado por algumas fintechs. Como contribuição, apesar de os fatores selecionados não serem inéditos e já terem sido discutidos na literatura, eles usualmente são avaliados de maneira individualizada. Nesse sentido, este estudo sugere que os fatores em conjunto e seus inter-relacionamentos se mostraram como relevantes e devem guiar pesquisas futuras. Para pesquisadores e analistas, os fatores selecionados podem servir como guias em avaliações sobre o setor. Para executivos e gestores, os resultados geraram subsídios para suas tomadas de decisões. / One fact related to the use of mobile phones to carry out resource transfer and payment is its accelerated growth around the world, with unquestionable economic potential. Optimistic projections suggest replacing traditional payment instruments such as paper checks and plastic cards with mobile payment instruments. In spite of the relevance of the organizations and sectors involved, few theoretical and empirical studies focused on the theme, especially for Brazil, where the innovation has not yet reached the level of penetration equivalent to that of other countries. With such a low performance scenario, which internal or organizational factors would be most important to the development of these innovations? In order to answer this question, this paper carried out a case study with three innovation initiatives in mobile payment instruments typified as successful in their countries, i.e. Alipay of China, M-Pesa of Kenya and Nubank of Brazil. Based on potential determinants selected in the literature, the information and data of companies and their environments were captured, selected and analyzed. In a complementary way, the triangulation of the information of the cases was carried out with the results of a questionnaire sent to 43 specialists from private and public organizations, with data analyzed by the structural equations model. The results suggest that, embedded in a non-restrictive regulatory environment, three factors were associated with the development of mobile payment instruments, all related to the qualities of resources and the management of organizations. The first is that organizations with organic characteristics, with open communication and decentralized, as opposed to mechanistic, closed and bureaucratic organizations, are associated with the development of mobile payment instruments\' supply. The second factor is integrated with the supply of multiple and complementary services in the same system and suggests the joint availability of both mobile payment and mobile banking services. The third one suggests the adoption of antecedent network as a strategy for entry and obtaining minimum critical mass, as an alternative to the vegetative growth adopted by some fintechs. As a contribution, although the selected factors are not unpublished and have already been discussed in the literature, they are usually evaluated in an individualized way. In this sense, this study suggests that the factors together and their interrelationships have proved to be relevant and should guide future research. For researchers and analysts, the selected factors can serve as guides in industry assessments. For executives and managers, the results generated support for their decisions.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2016-09-01T19:05:36Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre da Costa Goularte.pdf: 1691271 bytes, checksum: a94cb2d5ddfcdf9b354cb0410946e6b4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-01T19:05:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alexandre da Costa Goularte.pdf: 1691271 bytes, checksum: a94cb2d5ddfcdf9b354cb0410946e6b4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-30 / Mobility-based technology is affecting the way people buy goods and services, how people communicate among themselves and even the way to use services provided by banks, institutions that already tread a digital transformation path in Brazil. Combination of information technology, internet and mobile devices has resulted in technological innovations, allowing most of the banking transactions to be carried out safely through smartphones and tablets. However, data from the banking industry and scientific research show little adherence to that innovative service: mobile banking. In this context, the objective of this research was to understand what cultural factors affect mobile banking usage in an emergent country from Latin America region. Applying structural equation modeling on a model that combines UTAUT2 theory and cultural dimensions of Hofstede, research confirms that Individualism / Collectivism and Long Term Orientation effectivelly affect mobile banking adoption. However, three other cultural dimensions do not support it: Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity/Femininity and Power Distance. / A tecnologia baseada em mobilidade tem afetado a forma como compram-se bens e serviços, o modo de comunicação entre as pessoas e, quiçá, a maneira de utilizar-se os serviços dos bancos, instituições que já trilham um caminho de transformação digital no Brasil. A combinação da tecnologia da informação, da internet e dos dispositivos móveis resultou em inovações tecnológicas, permitindo que a maior parte das transações bancárias seja realizada, de forma segura, por meio de smartphones e tablets. Porém, os dados do segmento bancário e da pesquisa científica mostram pouca adesão a esse serviço inovador – o mobile banking. Neste contexto, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi entender quais fatores culturais afetam o uso do mobile banking em um país emergente da América Latina. Utilizando modelagem por equações estruturais sobre um modelo que combina a teoria de UTAUT2 e as dimensões culturais de Hofstede, confirmou-se que Individualismo/Coletivismo e Orientação por Longo Prazo são dimensões culturais que afetam a escolha pelo uso de mobile banking, não havendo suporte para as dimensões de Aversão à Incerteza, Masculinidade/Feminilidade e Distância de Poder.

Cette thèse étudie les déterminants de l'adoption des services financiers par téléphonie mobile et ses conséquences sur les comportements financiers individuels dans les pays en développement. Elle est composée de trois chapitres/articles auto-référents. Le premier chapitre étudie l'adoption croissante des services financiers par téléphonie mobile dans les pays en développement en distinguant mobile money (utilisation du mobile pour accéder à des services financiers) et mobile banking (services financiers liés à un compte bancaire accessibles par téléphonie mobile) et en confrontant l'Afrique Sub-Saharienne aux autres pays en développement. L'étude montre que le mobile money est plus répandu que le mobile banking dans les pays en développement mais plus encore en Afrique Sub-Saharienne. Les déterminants de son adoption sont liés aux facteurs macroéconomiques, à l'étendue des services financiers et des activités d'intermédiation du secteur bancaire dans chaque pays et surtout de l'ampleur des transferts d'argent des migrants. Le chapitre 2 analyse l'impact de l'adoption du mobile money sur le comportement individuel d'épargne à partir de données d'une enquête de terrain menée au Burkina Faso en 2014. En distinguant l'épargne selon qu'elle est constitué pour des événements prévisibles ou non, les résultats montrent que le mobile money a un impact favorable sur l'épargne lorsqu'elle est destinée à faire face à des événements imprévisibles et plus particulièrement à d'éventuels problèmes de santé. Les résultats plus précis révèlent que ce sont en fait les groupes défavorisés à qui le mobile money permet effectivement de développer cette capacité d'épargne, la sécurité et la possibilité de transferts d'argent dans la sous-région apparaissent comme les principaux facteurs explicatifs. Le chapitre 3 exploite ces données d'enquête en étudiant l'impact de l'adoption du mobile money sur l'utilisation des services financiers traditionnels (formels et informels). L'analyse montre que les utilisateurs du mobile money le privilégient pour effectuer leurs dépôts grâce aux avantages qu'il apporte en termes d'accès, de coût, de liquidité et de confidentialité par rapport aux services financiers traditionnels. Cependant, l'étude révèle que l'utilisation du mobile money renforce l'accès des usagers des services financiers informels et des groupes défavorisés à la fois aux banques et aux caisses d'épargne. / This dissertation investigates determinants of mobile financial technology adoption and its consequences on individual financial behaviors in developing countries. It is structured around three chapters/self-contained papers. The first chapter explores the growing adoption of mobile financial technology in developing countries by distinguishing mobile money (use of a mobile phone to access financial services) from mobile banking (access of banking services using a mobile phone) and setting Sub-Saharan Africa against other developing countries. The results show that mobile money adoption dominates mobile banking in developing countries especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Determinants of its adoption include macroeconomic factors, outreach of financial services, banking sector intermediation activities and especially remittances. The second chapter analyzes the impact of mobile money adoption on individual saving behavior by using individual-level survey data that we designed and conducted in 2014 in Burkina Faso. By distinguishing saving for predictable events from that for unpredictable events, the findings show that mobile money has a positive impact only on saving for unpredictable events especially saving for health emergencies. Precisely, the results show that disadvantaged groups who use mobile money are likely to save for health emergencies, and that safety and the availability of money transfers within the sub-region appear as factors that may explain the use of mobile money to save for health emergencies. The third chapter exploits the same survey data to analyze the impact of mobile money adoption on the usage of traditional (formal and informal) financial services. The results show that mobile money is preferred for deposits over traditional financial services because of the convenience that it provides in terms of relative access, risk, liquidity and privacy. Interestingly, the results reveal that the use of mobile money brings participants in informal deposit mechanisms and disadvantaged groups toward banks and credit unions.

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In the last decade, there has been an exponential rise in mobile phones in both developed and developed countries. In light of that, this paper investigates whether the expansion of such mobile networks leads to increased entrepreneurial activity. By conducting panel regressions, I find the degree to which various stages of entrepreneurial activity is affected by increased mobile phone subscription rates. I use data from 80 countries from 2007 to 2015 and parse out the different effects between developing and developed countries, and between males and females. I find that larger mobile networks encourage entrepreneurship, particularly in the early stages, with a larger benefit experienced by developed countries compared to developing countries. In addition, more females than males engage in early-stage entrepreneurship due to increased mobile phone subscription rates in developing countries. However, an opposite trend is observed in developed countries. Finally, I also consider potential implications on economic development as a result of such increased business formation.