EFFECT OF MOBILE MONEY IN CASHLESS TRANSACTION ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES IN BENUE STATE NIGERIA

The study investigated the effect of mobile money in cashless transaction on the financial performance of SMEs Benue State Nigeria. Three specific objectives with corresponding research questions guided the study and one hypothesis formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed descriptive research design. 150 registered businesses with Benue State Ministry of Commerce Trade and Investment were sampled using purposive sampling technique. The instrument were designed questionnaire tagged "Questionnaire for effect of mobile money in cashless transaction on the financial performance of SMEs (EMMCTFPSME)" were used. The Questionnaire was validated by experts and the reliability was established using Cranbach Coefficient Alpha Method which yielded a coefficient of 0.79. Correlation and Simple Regression were used to test the corresponding hypotheses The findings established that mobile money and its transaction has increased the sales volume, credit and debt management of SMEs in Benue State which in turn has an impact on their financial performance. Thus, this study recommends that SMEs should embrace the innovation in the banking sector to take full advantage of advancement in technology to increase their financial performance to maximize their profits.