M-Pesa adoption and usage: a qualitative study of young Kenyan entrepreneurs

Globally, there exits the largest ever youth population, otherwise known as the "youth bulge." Youth populations are especially sizable in developing countries like Kenya, where despite economic growth the challenge of creating job opportunities for this growing population persists. Concurrently, Kenya is experiencing tremendous growth in ICT adoption, most commonly the mobile phone. As mobile phones were quickly diffusing through Kenya, another unique innovation, M-Pesa, was created. M-Pesa is Kenya's leading mobile payment provider, and it has transformed financial services in the country. Using Diffusion of Innovations as a theoretical framework, this study explores M-Pesa adoption and use by Kenyan entrepreneurs. This study utilized semi-structured interviews with 28 young entrepreneurs in order to understand how the perceived attributes of M-Pesa influence adoption and continued usage.