Beyond Traditional: A User-Centric Survey Validating Modified UTAUT Predictors in Emerging Fintech Markets

The fast growth of fintech in the emerging economies obliges reconsidering the customary technology adoption patterns."Although the UTAUT offers a robust theoretical foundation, it may be insensitive to individualized contexts in many situations where there is a lack of proper consideration regarding trust, perceived risk, digital literacy, and personal innovativeness.In trying to test its research question, the study will focus on the performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions constructs of modified UTAUT on fintech adoption and how it affects the user."Data were gathered through the use of quantitative primary research technique, whereby the information was acquired through structured online surveys of 130 respondents with different demographical backgrounds.User-centered aspects have been incorporated in the original UTAUT framework through questionnaire creation.Pearson correlation and regression analysis showed that fintech adoption is best defined by modified UTAUT variables with R 2 = 32.3%.Social influence and enabling conditions also demonstrated a significant but less significant effect.Predominant tweaks in the usercentrism indicate the necessity of the personalized experience, the freedom of choice, and the perceived pleasure in shaping user behavior with a strong positive correlation (r = 0.575, p < 0.01) between the adoption of innovation and user-centrism modification.It has been observed that context-specific modifications in UTAUT explain the adoption of fintech within the emerging markets, which serves as validation of the findings.To policymakers and developers, the findings provide a strong reason to focus on trust, usability, and infrastructure preparedness as the keys to achieving inclusive digital financial development.