Does financial technology improve intention to pay zakat during national economic recovery? A multi-group analysis

Purpose Zakat has succeeded in becoming one of the safety nets for welfare during the crisis. As a result, continuous improvement is a necessity, especially through strengthening technology adaptation. This study aims to explore the factors determining Muslim behavior on their intention to pay zakat by taking into consideration the adoption of digital technology using the modified Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Design/methodology/approach The data collected were 265 respondents who live in urban and suburban areas. They were processed using the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) design. Furthermore, the multigroup analysis (MGA) was conducted to capture the difference results between urban and suburban. Findings The findings show that performance expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, perceived security and privacy and zakat literacy significantly increase the intention of Muzakki to adopt financial technology. Perceived security and privacy has succeeded in being an important predictor of digital payment adoption for Muzakki. This paper provides a specific description of the adoption of Muzakki living in urban and suburban areas by using MGA. The research findings illustrate that there is a different urgency between the related variables. Suburban communities have more significant results regarding the research model used. Research limitations/implications This research provides new component variables that can drive individuals’ intentions to use digital services to pay zakat online by using the redesigned UTAUT model. Further research can explore more variables related to zakat digitalization, such as social media interaction, by conducting in-depth interviews with stakeholders to improve zakat performance in this digital era. Practical implications The result of this research recommends that zakat institutions enhance their zakat literacy and education among the Muslim population to improve zakat performance. The government should pay attention to the digital ecosystem to attract the community to use a digital platform. Originality/value This research modified the UTAUT model by integrating several other important constructs to produce more comprehensive findings in investigating the factors that can influence an individual's intention to pay zakat through an online digital platform. This study also examined the indirect effect to obtain significant results by positioning perceived security and privacy as an intervening variable. The implementation of the MGA was conducted to divide research respondents into two categories (urban and suburban) and compare the test results.