Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia

Post-crisis, micro-entrepreneurs struggle to revive their businesses impacted by the global economic downturn. As businesses shut down, many have also chosen to dive into informal sectors to replace their lost sources of income. This study examined the influence of social trust, social networks, and...

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Main Authors: Nisful Laila, Shafinar Ismail, Putri Aliah Mohd Hidzir, Ririn Tri Ratnasari, Nurul Ezaili Alias
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Cogent Business & Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311975.2025.2460614
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author Nisful Laila
Shafinar Ismail
Putri Aliah Mohd Hidzir
Ririn Tri Ratnasari
Nurul Ezaili Alias
author_facet Nisful Laila
Shafinar Ismail
Putri Aliah Mohd Hidzir
Ririn Tri Ratnasari
Nurul Ezaili Alias
author_sort Nisful Laila
collection DOAJ
description Post-crisis, micro-entrepreneurs struggle to revive their businesses impacted by the global economic downturn. As businesses shut down, many have also chosen to dive into informal sectors to replace their lost sources of income. This study examined the influence of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on the financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia. This study’s framework is underpinned by social capital theory. Questionnaires were distributed in both countries through purposive sampling, and 330 valid respondents were included in the analysis using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that all variables significantly impacted the financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs, with financial knowledge being the strongest predictor. This study contributes to the literature by incorporating elements of social capital towards assess financial well-being through a multigroup analysis of neighbouring countries. The results may also help policymakers and financial institutions construct better offerings and services for underserved communities, especially for micro-entrepreneurs.
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spelling doaj-art-7e23efafb7e7448f9002bc87bcc91e4e2025-08-20T02:38:10ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Business & Management2331-19752025-12-0112110.1080/23311975.2025.2460614Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and IndonesiaNisful Laila0Shafinar Ismail1Putri Aliah Mohd Hidzir2Ririn Tri Ratnasari3Nurul Ezaili Alias4Faculty of Economic and Business, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, IndonesiaFaculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malacca, MalaysiaFaculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malacca, MalaysiaFaculty of Economic and Business, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, IndonesiaFaculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malacca, MalaysiaPost-crisis, micro-entrepreneurs struggle to revive their businesses impacted by the global economic downturn. As businesses shut down, many have also chosen to dive into informal sectors to replace their lost sources of income. This study examined the influence of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on the financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia. This study’s framework is underpinned by social capital theory. Questionnaires were distributed in both countries through purposive sampling, and 330 valid respondents were included in the analysis using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results revealed that all variables significantly impacted the financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs, with financial knowledge being the strongest predictor. This study contributes to the literature by incorporating elements of social capital towards assess financial well-being through a multigroup analysis of neighbouring countries. The results may also help policymakers and financial institutions construct better offerings and services for underserved communities, especially for micro-entrepreneurs.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311975.2025.2460614Financial knowledgefinancial well-beingmicro-entrepreneursocial networksocial trustEntrepreneurship and Small Business Management
spellingShingle Nisful Laila
Shafinar Ismail
Putri Aliah Mohd Hidzir
Ririn Tri Ratnasari
Nurul Ezaili Alias
Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia
Cogent Business & Management
Financial knowledge
financial well-being
micro-entrepreneur
social network
social trust
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
title Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia
title_full Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia
title_fullStr Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia
title_full_unstemmed Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia
title_short Impact of social trust, social networks, and financial knowledge on financial well-being of micro-entrepreneurs in Malaysia and Indonesia
title_sort impact of social trust social networks and financial knowledge on financial well being of micro entrepreneurs in malaysia and indonesia
topic Financial knowledge
financial well-being
micro-entrepreneur
social network
social trust
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311975.2025.2460614
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