Mobile Banking and Financial Inclusion of Traders in Homa-Bay Municipal Market, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t5372Abstract
Governments and financial institutions are striving to enhance access to formal financial services for traders, particularly those in remote regions. However, in Kenya, small-scale traders still encounter significant challenges such as lack of collateral, limited credit history, and high costs associated with formal financial services, hindering their access to necessary capital for business growth. This study aimed to examine the effect of mobile banking services on financial inclusion among traders at Homa-Bay municipal market, Kenya. The study was anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and adopted a descriptive research design, targeting traders from the Homa Bay Municipal Market, which had a total of 2,000 traders according to the Homa Bay County Council. The study employed the Yamane (1967) formula to select a sample size of 333 respondents, who were chosen using stratified random sampling. Questionnaires were used as the primary data collection method. SPSS computer software was used to facilitate the analytical process. The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between mobile banking services and financial inclusion (r = 0.218, p = 0.000). Regression analysis showed that mobile banking services significantly affected financial inclusion with an unstandardized coefficient of 0.164 and a standardized beta of 0.156 (β=0.164, t=2.515, p=0.000). The results indicated that a one-unit increase in mobile banking services resulted in a 0.164 unit increase in financial inclusion among traders. The study concludes that mobile banking services play a pivotal role in enhancing financial inclusion among traders in Homa-Bay municipal market by offering tailored banking solutions such as account management, fund transfers, and bill payments. The study recommends that financial institutions and mobile service providers should develop targeted education and awareness campaigns, enhance security and reliability of platforms, while policymakers should prioritize expansion of mobile network infrastructure and enforce policies promoting competition among service providers to improve accessibility and affordability of mobile banking services.
Keywords: Mobile banking services, financial inclusion, traders, Technology Acceptance Model, Homa-Bay municipal market, Kenya
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