MOBILE FINANCIAL SERVICES AS RETAIL FINTECH INTERVENTION: WHAT DETERMINES THE GENDERED AND LOCATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN USER SATISFACTION?

Abstract

Mobile financial services (MFS) platforms are considered the most retail, effective, and cost-efficient fintech intervention across the world. This paper explores the determinants of user satisfaction and whether the effects of the determinants are different across gender and location by using survey data on 1,040 personal mobile financial services (MFS) users in Bangladesh. A range of variables grouped in four dimensions– user demography, MFS type and characteristics, technology availability and friendliness, and location- are considered as potential factors. The overall findings suggest that users of older age, belonging from the male gender, and having tertiary level qualification were likely to be less satisfied, compared to others with the same MFS products and services offering, regardless of variations in occupation. The findings also confirm that there are gendered and locational differences in user satisfaction and that the level of satisfaction in using the same MFS product and service offerings is likely to be different due to the differentiated effects of different demographic, MFS-specific, technology, and locational factors. The insights from this paper offer several implications for MFS providers and policy-makers to foster financial inclusion and ensure access to financial services for all.