DIGITAL TRUST, SECURITY PERCEPTION, AND ADOPTION OF FINTECH PAYMENT PLATFORMS AMONG RURAL CONSUMERS IN SOUTHERN TAMILNADU

Abstract: FinTech Payment Platformshas achieved by the swift pace of financial technology (FinTech). It has brought a lot of changes in digital payment systems, especially in emerging economies. Nevertheless, the consideration of FinTech services in rural locations is a pressing issue as the problems of trust, security, and the technological availability are concerned. The paper focuses on the conditions affecting the use of FinTech payment systems by rural consumers in Southern Tamil Nadu. The study is based on four determinants, including digital trust, security perception, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use. The quantitative research design was applied and the rural respondents were observed using a structured questionnaire. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to determine the relationship between the variables in the study. The results indicate that digital trust (b = 0.34), perceived usefulness (b = 0.31), security perception (b = 0.29) and perceived ease of use (b = 0.22) exert significant impact with positive implications on FinTech adoption. Of these variables, digital trust was found to be the most influential variable in affecting willingness of the user to embrace digital payment platforms. The findings have been used to emphasize the need to foster trust, reinforce security systems, and create user-friendly online financial services to promote their use by the rural areas. Through the research, an understanding of digital financial inclusion is added and offers valuable knowledge to policy-makers, financial institutions, and FinTech providers in enhancing the adoption of digital payment technologies in rural regions. Keywords: FinTech Adoption, Digital Trust, Security Perception, Rural Consumers, Digital Payments, SEM. Title: DIGITAL TRUST, SECURITY PERCEPTION, AND ADOPTION OF FINTECH PAYMENT PLATFORMS AMONG RURAL CONSUMERS IN SOUTHERN TAMILNADU Author: Mrs. J. JOSHI, Dr. S. NAZEER KHAN International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations ISSN 2348-7585 (Online) Vol. 13, Issue 2, October 2025 - March 2026 Page No: 776-782 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 11-March-2026 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18956741 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/digital-trust-security-perception-and-adoption-of-fintech-payment-platforms-among-rural-consumers-in-southern-tamilnadu