Digital Entrepreneurship Training for Older Adults: A Systematic Literature Review on Financial Literacy and Economic Empowerment in the Silver Economy Era
Main Article Content
The rapid growth of the aging population and digital transformation has created new challenges and opportunities for older adults to participate in modern economic activities. Although digital technologies have provided opportunities for entrepreneurship, income generation, and financial independence, many older adults have continued to experience digital exclusion due to limited digital skills, technological barriers, and insufficient financial knowledge. This study aimed to examine how digital entrepreneurship training contributed to financial literacy and economic empowerment among older adults within the context of the silver economy era. This research employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach based on the PRISMA 2020 framework. Relevant studies published between 2015 and 2025 were identified from the Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Emerald Insight, and Google Scholar databases. Following the screening and quality assessment processes, 24 empirical studies were selected and analyzed. The findings revealed that digital entrepreneurship training improved digital capabilities, financial literacy, entrepreneurial self-efficacy, income diversification, and economic participation among older adults. Effective training models commonly incorporated blended learning approaches, mentoring systems, practical digital business skills, and age-friendly learning strategies. However, challenges remained regarding digital inequality, limited infrastructure, the sustainability of older adults’ businesses, and insufficient longitudinal evidence. This review concluded that digital entrepreneurship training represented an important strategy for promoting productive aging by strengthening economic resilience, social inclusion, and the active participation of older adults in the digital economy.
Keywords:
Digital Entrepreneurship, Economic Empowerment, Older Adults, Financial Literacy, Productive Aging
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Audretsch, D. B., Ghalwash, S., & Legazkue, I. P. (2024). The resilient self-employment of women and senior people after sudden economic shocks. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 20(3), 1649–1675. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00982-6
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Blaži?, B. J., & Blaži?, A. J. (2020). Overcoming the digital divide with a modern approach to learning digital skills for elderly adults. Education and Information Technologies, 25, 259–279. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09961-9
Fernández-Piqueras, R., González-García, R. J., Sanz-Ponce, R., & Calero-Plaza, J. (2025). Digital divides in older people: Assessment of digital competencies and proposals for meaningful inclusion. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 15, Article 25.
Finke, M. S., Howe, J. S., & Huston, S. J. (2017). Old age and the decline in financial literacy. Management Science, 63(1), 213–230. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2293
Friemel, T. N. (2016). The digital divide has grown old: Determinants of a digital divide among seniors. New Media & Society, 18(2), 313–331. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814538648
García-Aguña, S., Fernández-Roses, D., Gallardo-Peralta, L., & Sánchez-Moreno, E. (2025). Social relations and digital inclusion: Barriers, facilitators, and impact on the interactions among older adults in Spain. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1–18.
Grinin, L., & Grinin, A. (2023). Demographic transformations in the historical process in the light of technological development: Theoretical approach. Social Evolution & History, 22(2), 159–202.
Grinin, L., Grinin, A., & Korotayev, A. (2023). Demographic transformations in the light of technological development: Types of demographic reproduction in the past and in the future. Social Evolution & History, 22(2), 203–248.
Grinin, L., Grinin, A., & Korotayev, A. (2024). Global aging, adaptation to it and future demographic transformations. In Cybernetic Revolution and Global Aging: Humankind on the Way to Cybernetic Society, or the Next Hundred Years (pp. 269–327). Springer.
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Hunsaker, A., & Hargittai, E. (2018). A review of internet use among older adults. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3937–3954. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818787348
Islam, K. M. A., & Khan, M. S. (2024). The role of financial literacy, digital literacy, and financial self-efficacy in FinTech adoption. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 21(2), 370–380. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.21(2).2024.30
Janouchová, E. (2026). Digital literacy as a mediator of educational opportunities in later life (pp. 177–189). https://doi.org/10.36689/uhk/978-80-7435-960-6.014
Kamberidou, I. (2020). "Distinguished" women entrepreneurs in the digital economy and the multitasking whirlpool. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-020-0114-y
Kautonen, T., Kibler, E., & Minniti, M. (2017). Late-career entrepreneurship, income, and quality of life. Journal of Business Venturing, 32(3), 318–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2017.02.005
Kibler, E., Wainwright, T., Kautonen, T., & Blackburn, R. (2015). Can social exclusion against "older entrepreneurs" be managed? Journal of Small Business Management, 53(S1), 193–208.
Korotayev, A., Malkov, S., & Musieva, J. (2023). Demography: Toward optimization of demographic processes. In Reconsidering the Limits to Growth: A Report to the Russian Association of the Club of Rome (pp. 97–116). Springer.
Lissitsa, S., & Chachashvili-Bolotin, S. (2015). Does the wind of change blow in late adulthood? Adoption of ICT by senior citizens during the past decade. Poetics, 52, 44–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2015.06.002
Ma, Q., Chan, A. H. S., & Teh, P.-L. (2020). Bridging the digital divide for older adults via observational training: Effects of model identity from a generational perspective. Sustainability, 12(11), Article 4555. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114555
Martínez-Alcalá, C. I., Rosales-Lagarde, A., Alonso-Lavernia, M. A., Ramírez-Salvador, J. A., Jiménez-Rodríguez, B., Cepeda-Rebollar, R. M., López-Noguerola, J. S., Bautista-Díaz, M. L., & Agis-Juárez, R. A. (2018). Digital inclusion in older adults: A comparison between face-to-face and blended digital literacy workshops. Frontiers in ICT, 5, Article 21. https://doi.org/10.3389/fict.2018.00021
Miller, M., Reichelstein, J., Salas, C., & Zia, B. (2015). Can you help someone become financially capable? A meta-analysis of the literature. The World Bank Research Observer, 30(2), 220–246. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkv009
Ochoa Siguencia, L. (2025). Integrating English and digital literacy for older adults. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, 18(1), 16–26.
Pizzul, D., Sala, E., Caliandro, A., Zaccaria, D., & Carlo, S. (2024). Evaluating the impact of a peer-education digital literacy course on older adults' digital skills and wellbeing: A mixed-methods study protocol. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, Article 1384207.
Poblete, C., Mandakovic, V., & Apablaza, M. (2025). Shielded by business ownership? The role of senior entrepreneurship as a defense mechanism against ageism. The Bottom Line, 38(2), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1108/BL-09-2024-0161
Quan-Haase, A., Mo, G. Y., & Wellman, B. (2017). Connected seniors: How older adults in East York exchange social support online and offline. Information, Communication & Society, 20(7), 967–983. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1305428
Seaton, C. L., Rush, K. L., Li, E., Hasan, M. K., & Fawcus, L. (2023). Gluu Essentials digital skills training for middle-aged and older adults that makes skills stick: Results of a pre-post intervention study. JMIR Aging, 6, e46528.
Seifert, A., Cotten, S. R., & Xie, B. (2021). A double burden of exclusion? Digital and social exclusion of older adults during COVID-19. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(3), e99–e103. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa098
Stypi?ska, J., Franke, A., & Myrczik, J. (2019). Senior entrepreneurship: The unrevealed driver for social innovation. Frontiers in Sociology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2019.00030
Suguna, M., Sreenivasan, A., Ravi, L., Devarajan, M., Suresh, M., Almazyad, A. S., Xiong, G., Ali, I., & Mohamed, A. W. (2024). Entrepreneurial education and its role in fostering sustainable communities. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57470-8
Syed, R. T., Singh, D., Ahmad, N., & Butt, I. (2024). Age and entrepreneurship: Mapping the scientific coverage and future research directions. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 20(2), 1451–1486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00964-8
Tragaki, A. (2024). From ‘demographic bomb’to ‘silver tsunami’: Navigating global population shifts. European View, 23(1), 22–30.
Torres-Marín, A. J., Amorós, J. E., Leporati, M., & Roses, S. (2024). Senior entrepreneurship in Latin America: Evaluation and support from the entrepreneurship ecosystems approach. Management Research: The Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRJIAM-08-2023-1447
Tsai, H.-Y. S., Shillair, R., Cotten, S. R., Winstead, V., & Yost, E. (2015). Getting grandma online: Are tablets the answer for increasing digital inclusion for older adults in the United States? Educational Gerontology, 41(10), 695–709. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2015.1048165
van Deursen, A. J. A. M., & Helsper, E. J. (2015). A nuanced understanding of internet use and non-use among the elderly. European Journal of Communication, 30(2), 171–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323115578059
Vaportzis, E., Clausen, M. G., & Gow, A. J. (2017). Older adults' perceptions of technology and barriers to interacting with tablet computers: A focus group study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1687. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01687
Vial, J. (2026). Challenges of the Demographic Transition in the Twenty-First Century. In Sustainable Development and Natural Resources: A View from the South (pp. 113–131). Springer.
Yang, H., Chen, H., Pan, T., Lin, Y., Zhang, Y., & Chen, H. (2022). Studies on the digital inclusion among older adults and the quality of life: A Nanjing example in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, Article 811959. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.811959
Zhang, H., & He, R. (2022). A study of digital inclusion among Chinese rural older adults from a life-course perspective. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, Article 1055057.
Amorós, J. E., Leporati, M., Torres-Marín, A. J., & Roses, S. (2024). Opportunity entrepreneurship after 65: Relevant factors in OECD countries. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 20(2), 1215–1244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00953-x
Audretsch, D. B., Ghalwash, S., & Legazkue, I. P. (2024). The resilient self-employment of women and senior people after sudden economic shocks. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 20(3), 1649–1675. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00982-6
Betts, L. R., Hill, R., & Gardner, S. E. (2019). "There's not enough knowledge out there": Examining older adults' perceptions of digital technology use and digital inclusion classes. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 38(8), 1147–1166. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464817737621
Blaži?, B. J., & Blaži?, A. J. (2020). Overcoming the digital divide with a modern approach to learning digital skills for elderly adults. Education and Information Technologies, 25, 259–279. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09961-9
Fernández-Piqueras, R., González-García, R. J., Sanz-Ponce, R., & Calero-Plaza, J. (2025). Digital divides in older people: Assessment of digital competencies and proposals for meaningful inclusion. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 15, Article 25.
Finke, M. S., Howe, J. S., & Huston, S. J. (2017). Old age and the decline in financial literacy. Management Science, 63(1), 213–230. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2015.2293
Friemel, T. N. (2016). The digital divide has grown old: Determinants of a digital divide among seniors. New Media & Society, 18(2), 313–331. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814538648
García-Aguña, S., Fernández-Roses, D., Gallardo-Peralta, L., & Sánchez-Moreno, E. (2025). Social relations and digital inclusion: Barriers, facilitators, and impact on the interactions among older adults in Spain. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1–18.
Grinin, L., & Grinin, A. (2023). Demographic transformations in the historical process in the light of technological development: Theoretical approach. Social Evolution & History, 22(2), 159–202.
Grinin, L., Grinin, A., & Korotayev, A. (2023). Demographic transformations in the light of technological development: Types of demographic reproduction in the past and in the future. Social Evolution & History, 22(2), 203–248.
Grinin, L., Grinin, A., & Korotayev, A. (2024). Global aging, adaptation to it and future demographic transformations. In Cybernetic Revolution and Global Aging: Humankind on the Way to Cybernetic Society, or the Next Hundred Years (pp. 269–327). Springer.
Hill, R., Betts, L. R., & Gardner, S. E. (2015). Older adults' experiences and perceptions of digital technology: (Dis)empowerment, wellbeing, and inclusion. Computers in Human Behavior, 48, 415–423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.062
Hunsaker, A., & Hargittai, E. (2018). A review of internet use among older adults. New Media & Society, 20(10), 3937–3954. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818787348
Islam, K. M. A., & Khan, M. S. (2024). The role of financial literacy, digital literacy, and financial self-efficacy in FinTech adoption. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 21(2), 370–380. https://doi.org/10.21511/imfi.21(2).2024.30
Janouchová, E. (2026). Digital literacy as a mediator of educational opportunities in later life (pp. 177–189). https://doi.org/10.36689/uhk/978-80-7435-960-6.014
Kamberidou, I. (2020). "Distinguished" women entrepreneurs in the digital economy and the multitasking whirlpool. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-020-0114-y
Kautonen, T., Kibler, E., & Minniti, M. (2017). Late-career entrepreneurship, income, and quality of life. Journal of Business Venturing, 32(3), 318–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2017.02.005
Kibler, E., Wainwright, T., Kautonen, T., & Blackburn, R. (2015). Can social exclusion against "older entrepreneurs" be managed? Journal of Small Business Management, 53(S1), 193–208.
Korotayev, A., Malkov, S., & Musieva, J. (2023). Demography: Toward optimization of demographic processes. In Reconsidering the Limits to Growth: A Report to the Russian Association of the Club of Rome (pp. 97–116). Springer.
Lissitsa, S., & Chachashvili-Bolotin, S. (2015). Does the wind of change blow in late adulthood? Adoption of ICT by senior citizens during the past decade. Poetics, 52, 44–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2015.06.002
Ma, Q., Chan, A. H. S., & Teh, P.-L. (2020). Bridging the digital divide for older adults via observational training: Effects of model identity from a generational perspective. Sustainability, 12(11), Article 4555. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114555
Martínez-Alcalá, C. I., Rosales-Lagarde, A., Alonso-Lavernia, M. A., Ramírez-Salvador, J. A., Jiménez-Rodríguez, B., Cepeda-Rebollar, R. M., López-Noguerola, J. S., Bautista-Díaz, M. L., & Agis-Juárez, R. A. (2018). Digital inclusion in older adults: A comparison between face-to-face and blended digital literacy workshops. Frontiers in ICT, 5, Article 21. https://doi.org/10.3389/fict.2018.00021
Miller, M., Reichelstein, J., Salas, C., & Zia, B. (2015). Can you help someone become financially capable? A meta-analysis of the literature. The World Bank Research Observer, 30(2), 220–246. https://doi.org/10.1093/wbro/lkv009
Ochoa Siguencia, L. (2025). Integrating English and digital literacy for older adults. International Journal of Advanced Corporate Learning, 18(1), 16–26.
Pizzul, D., Sala, E., Caliandro, A., Zaccaria, D., & Carlo, S. (2024). Evaluating the impact of a peer-education digital literacy course on older adults' digital skills and wellbeing: A mixed-methods study protocol. Frontiers in Sociology, 9, Article 1384207.
Poblete, C., Mandakovic, V., & Apablaza, M. (2025). Shielded by business ownership? The role of senior entrepreneurship as a defense mechanism against ageism. The Bottom Line, 38(2), 173–190. https://doi.org/10.1108/BL-09-2024-0161
Quan-Haase, A., Mo, G. Y., & Wellman, B. (2017). Connected seniors: How older adults in East York exchange social support online and offline. Information, Communication & Society, 20(7), 967–983. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1305428
Seaton, C. L., Rush, K. L., Li, E., Hasan, M. K., & Fawcus, L. (2023). Gluu Essentials digital skills training for middle-aged and older adults that makes skills stick: Results of a pre-post intervention study. JMIR Aging, 6, e46528.
Seifert, A., Cotten, S. R., & Xie, B. (2021). A double burden of exclusion? Digital and social exclusion of older adults during COVID-19. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(3), e99–e103. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa098
Stypi?ska, J., Franke, A., & Myrczik, J. (2019). Senior entrepreneurship: The unrevealed driver for social innovation. Frontiers in Sociology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2019.00030
Suguna, M., Sreenivasan, A., Ravi, L., Devarajan, M., Suresh, M., Almazyad, A. S., Xiong, G., Ali, I., & Mohamed, A. W. (2024). Entrepreneurial education and its role in fostering sustainable communities. Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-57470-8
Syed, R. T., Singh, D., Ahmad, N., & Butt, I. (2024). Age and entrepreneurship: Mapping the scientific coverage and future research directions. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 20(2), 1451–1486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00964-8
Tragaki, A. (2024). From ‘demographic bomb’to ‘silver tsunami’: Navigating global population shifts. European View, 23(1), 22–30.
Torres-Marín, A. J., Amorós, J. E., Leporati, M., & Roses, S. (2024). Senior entrepreneurship in Latin America: Evaluation and support from the entrepreneurship ecosystems approach. Management Research: The Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRJIAM-08-2023-1447
Tsai, H.-Y. S., Shillair, R., Cotten, S. R., Winstead, V., & Yost, E. (2015). Getting grandma online: Are tablets the answer for increasing digital inclusion for older adults in the United States? Educational Gerontology, 41(10), 695–709. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2015.1048165
van Deursen, A. J. A. M., & Helsper, E. J. (2015). A nuanced understanding of internet use and non-use among the elderly. European Journal of Communication, 30(2), 171–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323115578059
Vaportzis, E., Clausen, M. G., & Gow, A. J. (2017). Older adults' perceptions of technology and barriers to interacting with tablet computers: A focus group study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 1687. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01687
Vial, J. (2026). Challenges of the Demographic Transition in the Twenty-First Century. In Sustainable Development and Natural Resources: A View from the South (pp. 113–131). Springer.
Yang, H., Chen, H., Pan, T., Lin, Y., Zhang, Y., & Chen, H. (2022). Studies on the digital inclusion among older adults and the quality of life: A Nanjing example in China. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, Article 811959. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.811959
Zhang, H., & He, R. (2022). A study of digital inclusion among Chinese rural older adults from a life-course perspective. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, Article 1055057.
