The lack of digital infrastructure in rural and remote
Research gap analysis derived from 4 economics papers in our local library.
The gap
The lack of digital infrastructure in rural and remote regions is a significant challenge to the adoption of digital financial services. The digital divide, particularly in rural and remote regions, is a major barrier to the integration of
Evidence profile
Sourced from the future work and recommendations and stated research gap of the source papers, classified as general, spanning 4 journals.
Research trend
Established — well-defined area with open sub-problems.
Supporting evidence — 4 representative gaps
- A Study on Customer Satisfaction Analysis of Mobile Payment (UPI) Applications (2026) · International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management · doi
To further refine the analytics of mobile payment satisfaction, future research should explore several promising avenues. • First, future work should investigate the integration of "virtual mirroring" techniques within the customer support teams handling UPI disputes. By measuring the communication patterns of support agents through semantic analysis and mirroring it back to them, platforms could potentially trigger changes in employee behavior that directly increase end-user satisfaction (Gloor et al., 2021). • Second, the analytical framework should be expanded to study cross-border mobile payment infrastructures. As © 2026 The Author(s). Published by IJCOPE Journal. Website: https://ijcope.org/ 5 International Journal of Creative and Open Research in Engineering and Management ISSN: 3108-1754 (Online) Volume 02 Issue 05 May-2026 | Impact Factor: 3.5 digital economies become increasingly interconnected, understanding the network externalities and trust factors that drive international mobile payment acceptance will require more sophisticated, cross-cultural causal models (Ajao et al., 2023). Exploring how digital resilience varies across different regulatory and cultural environments will be crucial for the global expansion of these payment technologies (Alhassan & Butler, 2021).
generalfuture workevidence 5/5Keywords: payment mobile satisfaction future mirroring support cross ijcope journal international digital cultural further refine analytics - Market Dominance of GCash in the Philippine Digital Payment Ecosystem: A Secondary Data Analysis (2026) · American Journal of Business Science Philosophy (AJBSP) · doi
Based on the findings of this study, several key recommendations are proposed for policymakers, financial institutions, fintech developers, small business stakeholders, and future researchers to further strengthen the development of digital payment ecosystems. For policymakers and financial regulators, it is recommended that government institutions continue to enhance digital financial infrastructure and reinforce regulatory frameworks that ensure secure, efficient, and inclusive electronic payment systems. Efforts should be directed toward expanding digital connectivity, advancing financial inclusion programs, and promoting interoperability across different digital payment platforms. Such measures will help accelerate the growth and resilience of the broader digital economy. For fintech companies, the development of integrated and diversified service ecosystems should be prioritized. Mobile wallet platforms should extend beyond basic payment functions to include complementary financial services such as savings, credit facilities, insurance, and investment tools. Platforms that are able to offer comprehensive financial solutions while maintaining high levels of user trust and data security are more likely to achieve sustained adoption and long-term market competitiveness. For small businesses and retail merchants, greater adoption of digital payment platforms is strongly encouraged. Micro and small enterprises can significantly benefit from mobile wallet systems by improving transaction efficiency, reducing reliance on cash handling, and expanding their customer base. The use of digital payment solutions also enables greater participation in the formal digital marketplace, thereby supporting business growth and financial inclusion. For future research, it is recommended that further studies examine consumer perceptions, trust development, and behavioral determinants influencing digital wallet adoption using primary data collection methods such as surveys and interviews. In addition, longitudinal studies are encouraged to better understand how digital payment ecosystems evolve over time in response to technological innovation, regulatory changes, and increasing market competition. Author Contributions: Conceptualization: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Data curation: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Formal analysis: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Funding acquisition: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Investigation: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Methodology: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Project administration: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Resources: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Software: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Visualization: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Writing – original draft: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Writing – review & editing: Mhel Cedric D. Bendo. Funding: This research received no external funding. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable. Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. Data Availability Statement: This study was based exclusively on publicly accessible secondary data obtained from official reports, institutional publications, and industry statistics. No human participants, personal data, 115 171of Bendo, American Journal of Business Science Philosophy, 2026, 3(1), 104-117. or direct interactions were involved in the research process. Therefore, ethical approval and informed consent were not required in accordance with institutional and international guidelines for secondary data analysis. Conflicts of Interest: The author(s) declares no conflicts of interest. Generative AI Statement: The author(s) utilized Grammar Checker feature of QuillBot solely to improve language quality and presentation, such as enhancing clarity, grammar, and academic style in text originally written by the author(s). The tool was not employed to create substantive scholarly material, data, analyses, or citations. The author(s) carefully reviewed the final manuscript and assume full responsibility for all content.
generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5Keywords: bendo mhel cedric digital financial payment author platforms statement small business development ecosystems wallet adoption - Digital Payment Adoption and Cross-Border Trade Efficiency Among Small and Medium Enterprises in East Africa (2026) · Routledge Open Research · doi
USE OF CROSS-BORDER DIGITAL PAYMENTS IN THE COMESA REGIONUNDERSTANDING THE TRAINING NEEDS OF MSMES42 4.1 Cereals trader in Busia Town, Kenya/Uganda Border Innovation in cross-border payments Cash continues to dominate CBTrs’ payments and financial challenge they face in cross-border payments. receipts among micro and small CBTrs and female-owned Additionally, service gaps of ‘FSPs’ websites/apps/USSD MSMEs. This is despite the high average values of these platforms are the most common challenge CBTrs face transactions and the high ownership rates of mobile regarding making CB payments digitally. money and bank accounts among traders. The three regional payment systems have yet to Cash payments are driven by the speed and ease with attain meaningful scale in the markets they operate which such payments are settled, and the perception in. Similarly, even though a growing number of among CBTrs that their payments are too small to be payment solutions are coming to market, many are affected electronically or digitally. This has resulted in closed-loop, severely limiting the size of their actual a strong preference and insistence on cash payments and potential user network. This, therefore, limits by suppliers and traders’ customers. their uptake among CBTrs. Traditional bank and MTO The preference for cash payments is also due to a lack of suitable products that meet the cross-border payment needs of CBTrs. This is confirmed by the solutions are costly, especially relative to the value of payments transacted by CBTrs. Although many traders have mobile money accounts, regional interoperability though growing, remains limited, and transaction 28% of respondent CBTrs that cite the absence of limits remain inhibitive for CBTrs. a designated low-cost digital payment service as a USE OF CROSS-BORDER DIGITAL PAYMENTS IN THE COMESA REGIONUNDERSTANDING THE TRAINING NEEDS OF MSMESCereals trader in Busia Town, Kenya/Uganda Border 43 The key solution to driving the adoption of digital iii. The digital payment solutions should be interoperable payments for CB transactions is inclusive product between all payment service providers domestically development and innovation in CB payments. and across borders. This is because more than This development of relevant and accessible payment 80% of CBTrs have mobile money accounts, and products is the leading factor to drive digitization of more than 70% of CBTrs have bank accounts. The domestic low-value high-volume payments in subinteroperability of mobile money and bank accounts Saharan Africa.
generalrecommendationsevidence 5/5Keywords: payments cbtrs payment border digital cross accounts cash among mobile money bank needs msmes service - Digital Payments and Green Finance as Twin Drivers of Green Growth in India: Emerging Perspectives towards Viksit Bharat (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi
The lack of digital infrastructure in rural and remote regions is a significant challenge to the adoption of digital financial services. The digital divide, particularly in rural and remote regions, is a major barrier to the integration of digital payments and green finance. Cybersecurity risk and data privacy are significant threats to the digital financial ecosystem.
generalstated research gapevidence 5/5Keywords: lack digital infrastructure rural remote regions significant challenge
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