Social Influence and Consumer Adoption of Fintech Payment Solutions in North West Nigeria: A Quantitative Study

This study quantitatively analyses the influence of social factors on consumer adoption of fintech payment solutions in North West Nigeria, with data collected from residents of Kano and Sokoto States. Social influence, encompassing subjective norms, social proof, and peer recommendation effects, has been theorised as a critical adoption driver in technology acceptance research, particularly in collectivist cultural contexts where interpersonal influence is strong. Nigerian fintech payment solutions including OPay, PalmPay, and Flutterwave-powered platforms have achieved rapid diffusion in some urban areas, but adoption in more traditional northern communities remains limited. Grounded in the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) and social capital theory, the study operationalises social influence at individual, community, and institutional levels and tests their effects on fintech adoption intention and behaviour. A cross-sectional survey of 390 adult respondents selected through cluster sampling is conducted in urban, peri-urban, and semi-rural areas of Kano and Sokoto. PLS-SEM is the primary analytical technique. Preliminary findings reveal that community-level social influence (adoption by recognised community figures and peer networks) exerts the strongest effect on adoption, significantly exceeding individual subjective norm effects. Institutional influence (endorsement by religious leaders and traditional authorities) emerges as a uniquely important adoption factor in northern Nigerian communities, not captured by standard UTAUT2 frameworks. Keywords: social influence, fintech adoption, technology acceptance, North West Nigeria, UTAUT2