Journal of Economics Business Industry
Vol. 3 No. 3 (2026): March

Financial Wellbeing of Poor Households in Eastern Indonesia: Role of Digital Financial Inclusion

Maria Oktaviani Lede (Universitas Nusa Cendana)
Yohanes Rafael Benu (Universitas Nusa Cendana)
Daniel Putra Nggili (oktaviani_lede@gmail.com)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Mar 2026

Abstract

This study examines the determinants of financial wellbeing among poor households in Eastern Indonesia, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of digital financial inclusion. Focusing on East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), the study addresses the persistent financial vulnerability of poor households living in regions characterized by high poverty, limited formal financial access, and uneven digital infrastructure. Primary survey data were collected from 405 poor households whose income fell below the provincial poverty line, consisting of 248 respondents from NTT and 157 respondents from NTB. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), followed by multigroup analysis to compare provincial differences. The findings show that financial behavior, financial literacy, and digital financial inclusion have significant positive effects on household financial wellbeing. However, digital literacy, digital financial service infrastructure, and financial service providers do not directly affect financial wellbeing. Instead, digital financial inclusion fully mediates the effects of infrastructure and financial service providers on financial wellbeing. The multigroup analysis reveals that digital financial inclusion has a stronger impact on financial wellbeing in NTT, while infrastructure and financial service providers have stronger effects on digital financial inclusion in NTB. These results highlight the importance of strengthening digital financial inclusion as a strategic pathway to improve the financial wellbeing of poor households. Policy interventions should prioritize financial education, affordable digital financial products, reliable digital infrastructure, and locally adapted financial services for underserved communities in Eastern Indonesia.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

Jebin

Publisher

Subject

Decision Sciences, Operations Research & Management Economics, Econometrics & Finance

Description

Journal of Economics Business Industry is a journal through a peer-review process.  Journal of Economics Business Industry for academics and researchers to publish their articles which is an original text that has not been published in another journal. The focus and scope are in the fields of ...