Driving Digital Financial Literacy in India: A Review of the Regulatory Landscape and Educational Marketing Strategies for Mitigating Cybersecurity and Data Protection Risks

India's digital financial inclusion agenda has expanded access to banking and payment services for millions, yet the rapid adoption of digital financial literacy (DFL) programs has outpaced regulatory frameworks designed to protect users. This study examines the legal and cybersecurity challenges confronting DFL initiatives in India, focusing on data protection gaps and their impact on user trust. Using a qualitative legal and policy analysis, the research employs a three-step gap analysis framework to systematically compare India's regulatory provisions—including the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and Reserve Bank of India guidelines—against documented cybersecurity threats affecting DFL users and providers between 2022 and 2024. The analysis reveals three critical gaps: definitional ambiguity in terms like "reasonable security practices" that leaves providers uncertain about compliance standards; substantive gaps where entire threat categories, such as educational content authentication and API security, lack regulatory coverage; and operational gaps where enforcement mechanisms remain underdeveloped despite statutory provisions. These regulatory deficiencies enable phishing attacks, data breaches, and identity theft that disproportionately harm vulnerable, low-literacy populations. The study demonstrates that regulatory fragmentation undermines the trust mechanisms central to technology adoption theories, creating a digital vulnerability paradox where inclusion tools become exploitation vectors. Findings inform the ongoing operationalisation of the DPDP Act and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, 8, 9, and 10 by proposing sector-specific regulations that protect users while enabling innovation.