Abstract
This study examines the effects of Nigeria’s cashless policy on market women in four selected markets in Oji River, Enugu State. A quantitative approach was adopted, testing the hypothesis that there is no significant difference in the perception of market women across the markets regarding the cashless policy. Findings confirmed the null hypothesis, revealing uniform concerns among respondents. The policy was found to reduce physical cash handling but negatively impacted sales due to poor network failures, high transaction charges, and fraud risks. Despite these challenges, the policy’s benefits such as reduced cash theft and ease of transactions were acknowledged. The study recommends improved financial infrastructure, subsidized transaction costs, and digital literacy programs to enhance adoption among market women.