The objective of this research is to assess the current state of e-banking in Saudi Arabia. The banking industry is rapidly evolving to use e-banking as an efficient and appropriate tool for customer satisfaction. Traditional banks recommend online banking as a particular service to their customers in order to provide them with faster and better service. As a result of the rapid advancement of technology, banks have used e-banking and mobile banking to both accumulate users and conduct banking transactions. Nonetheless, the primary challenge with electronic banking is satisfying customers who use Internet banking. Thus, the current study seeks to determine what factors affect e-payment adoption with e-banking services. mobile banking, e-wallets, and e-banking, as well as the mediating role of customer trust, can drive e-payment adoption. We distributed the survey online and offline to a total of 336 participants. A convenience sampling technique was used; structure equation modeling (SEM), convergence and discriminant validity; and model fitness were achieved through Smart PLS 3. The findings have shown that mobile banking, e-banking, and e-wallets are three significant independent variables that mediate the role of customer trust in influencing e-payment adoption when using Internet banking services. They should emphasize trust-building activities, specifically in relation to the new ways of e-payment such as e-banking, m-payments, NFC, and e-proximity, which will further help reduce consumer perceptions of risk. The system developers should design user-friendly applications and e-payment apps to enhance consumers’ belief in using them for payment purposes over any Internet-enabled device. They should promptly respond to consumers in cases of failed e-payment transactions and be able to promptly demonstrate transparency in settling claims for such failed transactions. Future studies could benefit from implementing probability sampling to facilitate comparisons with non-probability sampling studies. This study selected responses from only Saudi Arabian adopters of mobile payment technology. We need to conduct research on non-adopters and analyze the results using the model we proposed in this study. Due to time and resource constraints, in depth research using a mixed-methods approach could not be conducted. Future studies can utilize a mixed-methods approach for further understanding.

The paper assesses the threshold at which climate change impacts banking system stability in selected Sub-Saharan economies by applying the panel threshold regression on data spanning 1996 to 2017. The study found that temperature reported a threshold of −0.7316 ℃. Further, precipitation had a threshold of 7.1646 mm, while the greenhouse gas threshold was 3.6680 GtCO2eq. In addition, the climate change index recorded a threshold of −0.1751%. Overall, a non-linear relationship was established between climate change variables and banking system stability in selected Sub-Saharan economies. The study recommends that central banks and policymakers propagate the importance of climate change uncertainties and their threshold effects to banking sectors to ensure effective and stable banking system operations.

Decentralized cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin, use peer-to-peer software protocol, disintermediating the traditional intermediaries that used to be banks and other financial intermediaries, effectuating cross-border transfer. In fact, by removing the requirement for a middleman, the technology has the potential to disrupt current financial transactions that rely on a trusted authority or intermediary operator. Traditional financial regulation, primarily based on the command-and-control approach, is ill-suited to regulating decentralized cryptocurrencies. The present paper aims to investigate the policy option most suitable for regulating decentralized cryptocurrencies. The study employs content analysis method to effectuate the purpose of the study. The paper argues that the combination of both direct and indirect regulatory approaches would be a feasible option for regulating decentralized cryptocurrencies. The absence of centralized authority and the borderless nature of decentralized cryptocurrencies would make them antithetical to centralized direct regulation. Therefore, the findings of the study suggest that regulators should focus on regulating intermediaries bridging the connection between the online world (crypto ecosystem) and the physical world (the point of converting crypto into fiat money). These intermediaries can work as passive actors or surrogate regulators who are indirectly responsible for implementing policy options on behalf of the central authority.

The paper examines the motivations, financing, expansion and challenges of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI was initially designed to address China’s overcapacity and promote economic growth in both China and in countries along the “Belt” and “Road” through infrastructure investment and industrial capacity cooperation. It took into account China’s strategic transition in its opening-up policy and foreign policy to pay more attention to the neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and Central and West Asia when facing greater strategic pressure from the United States in East Asia and the Pacific region. More themes have been added to the initiative’s original framework since its inception in 2013, including the vision of the BRI as China’s major solution to improve international economic cooperation and practice to build a “community of shared future for mankind”, and the idea of the Green Silk Road and the Digital Silk Road. Chinese state-owned enterprises and policy and commercial banks have dominated investment and financing for BRI projects, which explains the root of the problems and risks facing the initiative, such as unsustainable debt, non-transparency, corruption and low economic efficiency. Measures taken by China to tackle these problems, for example, mitigating the debt distress and improving debt sustainability, are unlikely to make a big difference anytime soon due to the tenacity of China’s long-held state-driven investment model.

In today’s rapidly evolving world, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has become paramount, offering unparalleled value propositions and unparalleled consumer experiences. This study delves into the transformative impact of five AI activities on brand experience and consumer-based brand equity within the retail banking landscape of Lebanon. Employing a quantitative deductive approach and a sample of 211 respondents, the research employs structural equation modeling to analyze the data. The findings underscore the significant influence of four AI marketing activities on brand experience, revealing that factors such as information, accessibility, and customization play pivotal roles, while interaction has a less pronounced effect. Importantly, the study unveils that brand experience acts as a partial mediator between AI marketing activities and consumer-based brand equity. These revelations not only illuminate pathways for retail banks in Lebanon to refine their AI strategies but also underscore the importance of leveraging AI-driven marketing initiatives to bolster customer equity, acquisition, and retention efforts in an increasingly competitive market age.

Objectives: This research aimed to empirically examine the transformative impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption on financial reporting quality in Jordanian banking, with internal controls as a hypothesized mediation mechanism. Methodology: Quantitative survey data was collected from 130 bank personnel. Multi-item reflective measures assessed AI adoption, internal controls, and financial reporting quality—structural equation modelling analysis relationships between constructs. Findings: The research tested four hypotheses grounded in agency and contingency theories. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated sound measurement models. Structural equation modelling revealed that AI adoption significantly transformed financial reporting quality. The mediating effect of internal controls on the AI-quality relationship was supported. Specifically, the path from AI adoption to quality was significant, indicating a positive impact. Despite internal controls strongly predicting quality, its mediating effect significantly shaped the degree of transformation driven by AI adoption. The indirect effect of AI on quality through internal controls was also significant. Findings imply a growing diffusion of AI applications in core financial reporting systems. Practical implications: Increasing AI applications focus on holistically transforming systems, reflecting committing adoption. Jordanian banks selectively leverage controls to moderate AI-induced transformations. Originality/value: This study provides essential real-world insights into how AI is adopted and impacts the Jordanian banking sector, a key player in a fast-evolving developing economy. By examining the role of internal controls, it deepens our understanding of how AI works in practice and offers practical advice for integrating technology effectively and improving information quality. Its mixed methods, unique context, and focus on AI’s impact on organizations significantly enrich academic literature. Recommendations: Banks should invest in integrated AI architectures, strategically strengthen critical controls to steer transformations, and incrementally translate AI innovations into core processes.