Ethical Imperatives in Digital Finance: Advancing E-Payment Inclusion in a Fragile Economy

Abstract

This study investigates how ethically salient service dimensions, service quality, digital trust and security, and accessibility, shape user satisfaction and adoption of e-payment systems in fragile contexts. Drawing on a structured survey of 370 e-payment users in Kismayo, Jubbaland State of Somalia, and employing correlation and regression analyses, the study provides one of the first large-sample, quantitative examinations of digital finance adoption in Somalia. Framed within an ethically extended technology acceptance model (TAM), supported by institutional and contingency perspectives, the analysis reinterprets service quality as a proxy for perceived usefulness, accessibility as an expression of perceived ease of use, and trust/security as a critical extension variable. Fairness in access is further introduced as a measurable ethical construct reflecting digital justice and inclusion. Results show that these constructs significantly enhance customer satisfaction, which in turn predicts adoption. Unlike prior research that treats e-payment adoption as purely technical or behavioral, this study positions the ethical extension of TAM as its central contribution, offering theoretical and practical insights for inclusive and resilient digital finance in fragile economies.