Exploring the ethical behaviour of youth engagement in digital finance: Risk perceptions and security vulnerabilities in Big Data-driven supply chain platforms

The rapid proliferation of digital finance in emerging economies has prompted new inquiries into the ethical, strategic, and technological orientations of youth-led enterprises.This study investigates how fintech startups founded by young entrepreneurs in BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) frame their organizational intent through mission and vision statements.Drawing upon a thematic analysis of 25 companies, the research examines the articulation of six critical constructs: ethical behavior, youth engagement, digital finance, risk perception, security vulnerabilities, and big data-driven supply chain platforms.The findings reveal a dominant emphasis on digital innovation and ethical positioning, with digital finance (34.7%) and ethical behavior (32.6%) emerging as the most frequently addressed themes.Conversely, risk-related narratives and cybersecurity discourse remain marginal, while youth engagement is conspicuously absent from most strategic texts, despite the demographic profile of the founders.Cross-national comparisons further underscore variation in thematic comprehensiveness, with Brazil and South Africa exhibiting the broadest strategic coverage.These results highlight both the potential and the narrative blind spots of youth-led digital finance enterprises in the Global South.The study advances theoretical discourse at the intersection of generational entrepreneurship, digital ethics, and platform governance, and offers actionable implications for regulators, investors, and founders aiming to foster resilient, inclusive, and ethically grounded fintech ecosystems.