Exploratory study on the adoption of Financial Technology among Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants in Ireland

The term Digital Native and Digital Immigrant were coined by Prensky (2001) and have been used as a general term to describe individuals who were born before and after 1980. However, there has been very little research done on this concept outside of school and university settings. The purpose of this exploratory research is to examine if the proposed characteristics that define a digital native from a digital immigrant exist among consumers of financial technologies within Ireland, and if so, are digital natives more likely to adopt financial technology solutions and trust FinTech firms. The UTAUT2 model was identified as the most appropriate model to explore what the determinants are that influence the adoption of financial technology services among Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants. A quantitative method was employed using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire received 209 valid responses from individuals ranging from 18 years of age to 65 years of age and over. The findings from this research will provide insight into which constructs influence consumers to use and adopt financial technologies, as well as which constructs divide the financial technology user base. From these findings incumbent banks and FinTech firms can look at ways to increase user adoption of financial technology among all age groups