Financial technology (fintech) adoption has become increasingly important in the context of rapid technological advancement due to its potential to transform business operations and enhance corporate performance. Against this background, this study examines the impact of fintech adoption on corporate performance in the Tanzanian manufacturing sector using a cross-sectional analytical framework. The study is anchored in the Resource-Based View Theory, which conceptualizes fintech as a strategic organizational resource capable of generating competitive advantage when effectively deployed. Empirically, the study employs an Endogenous Switching Regression Model to address self-selection bias and to compare profitability outcomes between fintech-adopting and non-adopting firms. The findings reveal that firms adopting fintech experience significantly higher profit levels than non-adopters, with capital investment in fintech and accumulated experience in its use emerging as the most critical drivers of performance gains. In contrast, firms that do not adopt fintech exhibit weaker and less consistent profitability outcomes. These results suggest that fintech adoption enhances corporate performance primarily through sustained investment and learning effects rather than through adoption alone. Based on the findings, the study recommends that manufacturing firms prioritize fintech adoption as a strategic investment and that policymakers should support this process by improving access to fintech infrastructure and reducing fiscal barriers, such as taxes on imported fintech-related technologies, to accelerate digital transformation in Tanzania’s manufacturing sector.