Cashless Society and Self-Control: A Behavioral Study of Students' Financial Management

Abstrak

The development of financial technology has accelerated the transition to a cashless society, particularly among university students, who are a digitally native generation and are adept at electronic payment systems. This phenomenon provides ease of transaction, time efficiency, and automatic financial recording. Still, it poses a risk of consumptive behavior due to ease of access, digital promotions, and low psychological barriers to payment. This study aims to analyze the influence of a cashless society on students' financial self-control through a simple Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 10 scientific articles published between 2023 and 2025. The study's results indicate that the use of digital payment instruments can increase consumption tendencies if not balanced by adequate self-control. Conversely, for students with strong financial literacy and self-control, the cashless system supports financial management through expenditure monitoring and budgeting.  Therefore, the influence of the cashless society is twofold, shaped by an individual's capacity for self-control and financial literacy. These findings emphasize the importance of strengthening financial education and self-regulation skills for students so that the use of digital financial services contributes positively to their financial health.