Paper Number

ICIS2026-3918

Paper Type

Short

Abstract

Digital financial technology use is commonly expected to be greater in more favorable socioeconomic and infrastructural contexts. This study questions whether this expectation holds when digital payment systems become widely adopted. Using municipal-level data from Brazil, it examines the relationship between Pix usage and four structural conditions: income, education, digital connectivity, and physical banking presence. The results reveal contrasting patterns. Higher connectivity and education are associated with greater Pix usage, as expected, whereas municipalities with lower income and lower physical banking presence exhibit higher levels of usage. These findings challenge the assumption that favorable structural conditions systematically correspond to greater technology use and caution against interpreting intensive usage as straightforward evidence of financial inclusion. As a short paper, this study provides a basis for further examining how digital financial technology use should be interpreted and studied across different structural contexts.

Comments

06_Societal_impacts

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Dec 14th, 12:00 AM

Do Better Conditions Always Lead to More Use? Evidence from Digital Payments in Brazil

Digital financial technology use is commonly expected to be greater in more favorable socioeconomic and infrastructural contexts. This study questions whether this expectation holds when digital payment systems become widely adopted. Using municipal-level data from Brazil, it examines the relationship between Pix usage and four structural conditions: income, education, digital connectivity, and physical banking presence. The results reveal contrasting patterns. Higher connectivity and education are associated with greater Pix usage, as expected, whereas municipalities with lower income and lower physical banking presence exhibit higher levels of usage. These findings challenge the assumption that favorable structural conditions systematically correspond to greater technology use and caution against interpreting intensive usage as straightforward evidence of financial inclusion. As a short paper, this study provides a basis for further examining how digital financial technology use should be interpreted and studied across different structural contexts.