STRENGTHENING WOMEN'S FINANCIAL COMPETENCE THROUGH DIGITAL FINANCIAL LITERACY: EVIDENCE FROM THE BANKING SECTOR

Abstract

Digital finance is expanding quickly in Pakistan, yet women remain far less financially included than men, and access to a smartphone or bank account does not by itself produce financial skill. This study examines how five dimensions of digital financial literacy (DFL) — Digital Financial Knowledge (DFK), Awareness of Digital Financial Services (DAW), Digital Financial Tool Usage (DTU), Online Financial Security and Risk Control (SEC), and Digital Financial Attitude and Behaviour (DAB) — relate to the financial competence (FC) of women bank employees in Faisalabad. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was administered through purposive sampling; 344 of 360 questionnaires were valid (95.6%). The 38-item, five-point Likert instrument was adapted from validated international scales, and all six constructs showed excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.932–0.952). Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, simple and multiple regression (SPSS 26), and PLS-SEM (SmartPLS 4). Financial competence appears to depend more on attitudes, disciplined behaviour, foundational knowledge and security literacy than on awareness or tool access alone. Programmes for women should therefore be behaviour-oriented and security-embedded. Because the data are self-reported, cross-sectional and drawn from a homogeneous sample, the strength of the associations should be read with caution.