Digital Financial Services Usage, Financial Literacy, And Personal Financial Management Among Kyambogo University Students.
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Date
2025-11-25
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Makerere University Business School
Abstract
This study sought to investigate the interplay between digital financial services usage, financial literacy, and personal financial management among university students in Uganda. Guided by Financial Literacy Theory and Rational Choice Theory, the study focused on four specific objectives; (1) effect of digital payment usage on personal financial management; (2) effect of digital credit usage and personal financial management; (3) effect of digital saving usage on personal financial management; and (4) the mediating effect of financial literacy on the relationship between digital financial service usage and personal financial management. To examine these, it employed quantitative approach and specifically a cross-sectional design with a sample size of 332 students at Kyambogo University. The findings revealed statistically significant positive relationships between all digital financial service usage dimensions and personal financial management: digital payments (β=0.504, p<0.01), digital credit (β=0.543, p<0.01), and digital savings (β=0.271, p<0.01), with digital credit showing the strongest effect. Further, the study showed that financial literacy significantly moderates the relationship between digital financial service usage and personal financial management with an (interaction β=0.180, p<0.05), demonstrating greater impact among students with advanced financial knowledge (β=0.448)compared to those with low literacy (β=0.323). Moreover, the model explained 37.8% of variance in personal financial management (R²=0.378), indicating that digital financial service usage and financial literacy collectively boost financial management beyond individual effects. These findings contribute to financial management literature, especially in the digital error by validating the interplay between digital financial services and financial literacy. In this regard, the study further revealed the differential digital financial series impacts as well as providing an empirical evidence from an understudied Universities’
context in Uganda. For practical benefits, the study recommends policy interventions combining digital financial services accessibility with targeted financial education. Particularly emphasis should be on responsible credit use and automated savings, while evolving theoretical conceptualization of digital financial capability among the population.
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This is a master's thesis.
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Citation
Lwanga, M. (2025). Digital Financial Services Usage, Financial Literacy, And Personal Financial Management Among Kyambogo University Students. (Unpublished master's dissertation). Makerere University Business School, Kampala, Uganda.