Integrating the Technology Acceptance Model and Hifz al-Mal: Digital Financial Literacy and Digital Payment Adoption in Shaping Financial Behaviour

The rapid growth of digital financial technologies has reshaped the global payment landscape, contributing to the shift toward a cashless society. While digital payment platform offers greater convenience and efficiency, they can also affect how individuals manage their finances and make spending decisions. This study examines the influence of digital financial literacy and digital payment adoption on responsible financial behaviour by integrating Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with the Islamic principle of Hifz al-Mal (protection of wealth). Using a quantitative research design, data were collected among 210 university students who actively use digital payment platforms. The study employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to examine the proposed research model. The findings reveal that digital payment usage has a positive and significant effect on financial behaviour and digital financial literacy emerged as the strongest predictor. This study contributes theoretically by integrating TAM and Hifz al-Mal into the domain of financial behaviour and highlighting the critical role of digital financial behaviour as both a driver and a protective mechanism against financial risk.