Street Vendors Using Smartphones for Digital Payments: A Qualitative Study of Digital Opportunities and Inequalities From Kashmir Region in India.

This article examines the adoption and use of smartphone-based mobile payment (m-payment) applications among street vendors in Srinagar, India, highlighting the interplay between digital financial inclusion and persistent digital skill gaps. Despite widespread display of QR code stickers from apps like PhonePe and Amazon Pay, most street vendors—largely illiterate or with limited education—rely heavily on intermediaries such as marketing agents and literate family members to install, operate, and verify digital transactions. While technological solutions like smart speakers providing instant audio payment confirmations address some operational challenges, they do not resolve underlying issues of illiteracy and digital literacy. The study underscores the importance of addressing these foundational skill gaps through targeted policies and literacy programs to ensure equitable and safe digital financial inclusion for informal sector workers.