Abstract
This study examines how mobile money agents’ credibility is associated with mobile money adoption, customer loyalty and financial inclusion in Nigeria. It addresses a gap in digital-finance research that has emphasised platform characteristics and generalised trust while paying less attention to the frontline agent as a trust intermediary. Using a qualitative exploratory design, 67 Firstmonie agents were interviewed. Participants were recruited purposively on the basis of operational experience and customer-facing exposure, with snowball referrals extending access across locations. Sample adequacy was judged using information-power principles rather than statistical power. Interview material was analysed through NVivo-supported thematic analysis, case classification, matrix coding and case-level co-occurrence analysis. The analytic constructs were generated through a theory-informed and data-refined coding framework: agent credibility comprised competence, integrity/honesty, responsiveness, transparency and transaction reliability; adoption captured uptake and continued use; loyalty captured repeat patronage and relational preference; and financial inclusion captured access to and sustained use of formal financial services. Co-occurrence patterns supported the proposed relationships between agent credibility and adoption (45 of 67 cases), customer loyalty (23 of 67 cases) and financial inclusion (42 of 67 cases). The findings position credible agents as trust intermediaries whose conduct can strengthen digital-finance engagement, while network failures, delayed reversals, fraud concerns and weak platform support constrain that role. The study contributes an agent-level relational perspective to mobile-money adoption and inclusion research and highlights the importance of agent governance, consumer protection and transaction reliability.