International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

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 Volume 13, Issue 5 (May 2026), Pages: 133-144

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 Original Research Paper

Digital financial literacy and inclusion for sustainable economic performance: The mediating role of technology adoption

 Author(s): 

Rafida Khairani 1, *, Pasaman Silaban 2, Yusuf Ronny Edward 3

 Affiliation(s):

1Doctoral Program in Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia
2Faculty of Economics and Business, Department of Management, HKBP Nommensen University, Medan, Indonesia
3Doctoral Program in Management, PUI Human Resource Management Research and Innovation Center, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Prima Indonesia, Medan, Indonesia

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 * Corresponding Author. 

   Corresponding author's ORCID profile:  https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8038-5885

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2026.05.013

 Abstract

Rural micro-enterprises often face structural challenges in achieving sustainable economic performance, despite increased access to digital financial services. Although digital financial literacy and digital financial inclusion are expected to improve economic sustainability, their effectiveness depends on the actual adoption of digital technologies in business activities. This study examines the effects of digital financial literacy and digital financial inclusion on sustainable economic performance, with technology adoption acting as a mediating factor. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model, the study assumes that financial capability and access influence sustainability outcomes through technology adoption behavior. Data were collected from 396 rural micro-entrepreneurs in Kabupaten Deli Serdang, Indonesia, using a structured survey, and were analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that digital financial literacy and digital financial inclusion have significant positive effects on sustainable economic performance. Technology adoption has the strongest direct effect on sustainability and significantly mediates the relationship between digital financial literacy and sustainable economic performance. Furthermore, the study identifies a significant sequential mediation effect, in which digital financial literacy improves digital financial inclusion, which then increases technology adoption and enhances sustainability outcomes. These findings suggest that digital financial literacy and digital financial inclusion act as enabling factors, while sustainable economic performance is mainly achieved when digital financial services are actively adopted and integrated into daily business operations.

 © 2026 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

Digital financial literacy, Digital financial inclusion, Technology adoption, Sustainable economic performance, Rural micro-enterprises

 Article history

Received 13 January 2026, Received in revised form 8 May 2026, Accepted 12 May 2026

 Acknowledgment

No Acknowledgment. 

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

This study was conducted in accordance with ethical research principles involving human participants. Prior to data collection, all respondents were informed about the objectives, procedures, and voluntary nature of the study. Participants provided informed consent before completing the questionnaire and were assured that their responses would be kept confidential and used solely for academic research purposes. No personal identifiers were collected, and all data were analyzed anonymously to protect participant privacy. Respondents were also informed that they had the right to withdraw from the study at any stage without any consequences. Furthermore, the research procedures complied with institutional research ethics standards and the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki regarding research involving human subjects. 

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

Khairani R, Silaban P, and Edward YR (2026). Digital financial literacy and inclusion for sustainable economic performance: The mediating role of technology adoption. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 13(5): 133-144

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