Assessing the impact of social influence, perceived risk, and trust and security on fintech application usage through the mediating role of behavioral intention: Evidence from GoPay Users in Surabaya

This study investigates the influence of social influence, perceived risk, and trust and security on the usage of fintech applications, with behavioral intention serving as a mediator. A quantitative approach was adopted, grounded in the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Data were collected from 150 GoPay users in Surabaya via an online questionnaire, and the hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modeling with Partial Least Squares (SEM‑PLS). The analysis reveals that behavioral intention significantly predicts actual usage, while social influence exerts positive effects on both behavioral intention and usage. Perceived risk demonstrates a significantly negative relationship with behavioral intention but does not directly impact actual usage, suggesting that its effect is fully mediated. Trust and security do not show significant effects on either behavioral intention or actual usage. Overall, the findings confirm the mediating role of behavioral intention in linking external determinants and fintech application adoption. This study contributes to the fintech literature by integrating multiple factors in a localized context of GoPay users in Surabaya. Practically, it suggests that fintech providers should focus on enhancing social influence and mitigating perceived risk to foster user intention and increase sustained app usage.