ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Hum. Dyn.
Sec. Digital Impacts
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovating Security: Human-Centric Design and Trust in the Cyber EraView all articles
Attitudes Towards Mobile Payment: A Comparison Study of Gulf States
Provisionally accepted
- 1American University of Kuwait, Safat, Kuwait
- 2Abdullah Al Salem University, Khaldiya, Kuwait
- 3Majan University College, Ruwi, Oman
- 4Al Yamamah University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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The main objective of the current study is to determine the adoption of mobile payment platforms within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, focusing on Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. The research addresses the critical issue of perceived security and its impact on user trust and attitudes towards mobile payment adoption. This research examines the differences in adoption between three GCC nations, providing insights into the security variables that influence user perceptions and trust. Using a survey distributed to 859 respondents, the research employs Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to analyze the relationships between security measures, cultural factors, perceived security, trust, and user attitudes. The findings reveal that perceived security significantly impacts both user attitudes and trust towards mobile payment usage. Security technology protection and security rules and policies enhance perceived security but do not directly influence trust. Security responsibility commitment and coverage of mobile payment context positively affect perceived security, while uncertainty avoidance significantly influences both perceived security and trust. These results underscore the importance of robust security measures and cultural considerations in promoting mobile payments. Previous research has highlighted the importance of security measures in fostering trust and encouraging the use of mobile payments, but there is a lack of empirical data on how more specific security-related factors vary across emerging markets. The study's implications suggest that service providers should focus on enhancing security perceptions and addressing cultural factors to build trust and encourage the use of their systems. This research contributes to the existing literature by providing empirical data on the determinants of mobile payment adoption in emerging markets and offering valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders in the GCC's digital economy and market entry.
Keywords: attitudes3, Digital Payment Platforms1, Gulf CooperationCouncil (GCC)5, Mobile Payment2, security4
Received: 22 Oct 2025; Accepted: 29 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Al-Shamali, Almutairi, Albalushi, Nafea, Alsaber and AlReshaid. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Sarah Al-Shamali
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.