The intersection of technology and finance has given rise to a pervasive FinTech ecosystem, profoundly reshaping the landscape of innovation, entrepreneurship, and access to digital financial services driven by the era of Industry 4.0. This study explores the drivers of adoption and continued use of FinTech services in Italy. This phenomenon is spreading widely as an increasing number of users adopt digital financial services, despite traditional banking rigidities. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this development, highlighting the necessity of adopting digital financial services. Grounded in the TAM and UTAUT theoretical frameworks, the focus of this study is to explain users’ behaviour in continuing to use FinTech services, identifying the drivers that contribute to the success of FinTech in the Italian context. To achieve this, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to the main categories of FinTech, validated through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) on a sample of 465 consumers in Italy: students and office workers. Our key findings show that perceived usefulness, trust, perceived security, and social influence are all factors that positively influence the success of FinTech services among Italian consumers. The practical implications of this study are highly relevant for financial institutions and FinTech startups, which should focus on communication strategies emphasizing transparency and trust while implementing stringent security standards to ensure strong user retention. The COVID-19 pandemic, while not included as a variable in our empirical model, is treated as a key contextual accelerator for FinTech adoption. This approach aligns with theoretical perspectives where external shocks act as catalysts for reducing barriers to technology adoption, increasing perceived usefulness, and shaping user behavior. Then this positioning aligns with recent theoretical work highlighting the role of crisis-driven behavioral shifts within technology adoption frameworks.
FinTech adoption and continuance: unveiling the drivers of user engagement in Italy
Papa, Armando
2026
Abstract
The intersection of technology and finance has given rise to a pervasive FinTech ecosystem, profoundly reshaping the landscape of innovation, entrepreneurship, and access to digital financial services driven by the era of Industry 4.0. This study explores the drivers of adoption and continued use of FinTech services in Italy. This phenomenon is spreading widely as an increasing number of users adopt digital financial services, despite traditional banking rigidities. Moreover, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this development, highlighting the necessity of adopting digital financial services. Grounded in the TAM and UTAUT theoretical frameworks, the focus of this study is to explain users’ behaviour in continuing to use FinTech services, identifying the drivers that contribute to the success of FinTech in the Italian context. To achieve this, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to the main categories of FinTech, validated through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) on a sample of 465 consumers in Italy: students and office workers. Our key findings show that perceived usefulness, trust, perceived security, and social influence are all factors that positively influence the success of FinTech services among Italian consumers. The practical implications of this study are highly relevant for financial institutions and FinTech startups, which should focus on communication strategies emphasizing transparency and trust while implementing stringent security standards to ensure strong user retention. The COVID-19 pandemic, while not included as a variable in our empirical model, is treated as a key contextual accelerator for FinTech adoption. This approach aligns with theoretical perspectives where external shocks act as catalysts for reducing barriers to technology adoption, increasing perceived usefulness, and shaping user behavior. Then this positioning aligns with recent theoretical work highlighting the role of crisis-driven behavioral shifts within technology adoption frameworks.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
