How Trust and Security Perceptions Affect Mobile Banking Use in Uzbekistan

This research examines mobile banking adoption factors in the context of Uzbekistan, with an emphasis on the contributions of trust and perceived safety in an emerging economy on the road to digital financial services. The work is underpinned by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), with analyses testing how these factors combine with the influence of cultural mores and digital literacy to drive user conduct. A survey of 50 respondents across urban and rural areas suggested that trust and perceived safety are the leading drivers of adoption, outpacing perceived utility and ease of use as critical factors. Statistical tests, including correlational (trust: r = 0.70; safety: r = 0.68) and regression (trust: β = 0.35; safety: β = 0.30), validated their influence on behavioral intent. At the subgroup level, rural and less-educated users, characterized by lower digital literacy and the use of traditional banking, prioritize trust and safety. These findings sharpen TAM and UTAUT by identifying the enhanced salience of trust and safety in risk-permeated contexts and proposing that banks and policymakers develop trust-promoting practices and situational digital literacy interventions, particularly in rural areas, to drive progress toward the digital financial inclusion strategy in Uzbekistan.

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