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The rapid global use of Financial Technology (FinTech), an innovative and advanced technology, is leading to the replacement of traditional financial services. Despite this, consumers in the United Arab Emirates are still not accepting FinTech services as anticipated. This study aims to investigate the barriers preventing consumers from using FinTech services in the banking industry based on the technology-organisation-environment (TOE) framework and anchored by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT).

The current study used an exploratory sequential mixed-method design. A purposive sample was used to conduct preliminary semi-structured interviews with ten banking practitioners. These interviews aimed to explore the obstacles that hinder consumers from adopting FinTech services. To provide further empirical validation, the conceptual model has been systematically examined through a quantitative cross-sectional online survey encompassing a sample of 332 bank customers.

The qualitative investigation highlighted six new barriers to the usage of FinTech based on TOE’s model attributes. Through quantitative data analysis, the preliminary qualitative findings were primarily verified. It was discovered that self-efficacy, electronic word-of-mouth, system quality and bank image substantially influence consumers to use FinTech services, in addition to performance expectancy and facilitating conditions. Meanwhile, IT features and governmental support were found to have insignificant effects. Yet, government support was found to have a positive moderating role in strengthening social influence and system quality towards customer use of FinTech. Thus, the research supports the UTAUT and TOE models’ fitness for explaining FinTech usage with high predictive relevance.

This study is the authors’ pioneering effort to propose a comprehensive research framework that integrates the UTAUT and TOE models to tackle the limited adoption of FinTech services among consumers. Moreover, the study specifically examined the moderating influence of government support to propose an integrated model. Remarkably, this study is one of the initial attempts to investigate the adoption of FinTech using a mixed-methodology approach by incorporating quantitative and qualitative methods within a single inquiry to yield more comprehensive and insightful findings than research that relies on a single method.

A significant dilemma facing humankind in the present time is environmental degradation. To alleviate the pressure on natural resources, green banking (GB) has been acknowledged as an effective solution. However, creating consumer engagement is still challenging for banks. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of religiosity on GB adoption among Muslim consumers.

The deductive approach was used to explain how GB adoption is affected by the religiosity of the consumer. A total of 332 sample data were collected cross-sectionally from Islamic bank customers in the UAE. Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) via Smart PLS 4 was used to analyse the data. Five dimensions (i.e. ideological, ritualistic, intellectual, consequential and experimental) were used to measure religiosity which served as the independent variable. Customer intention to adopt GB represents the dependent variable.

The PLS-SEM results revealed that Islamic religiosity affects the adoption of GB among Muslim consumers. Indeed, their religious commitment and beliefs affect the products they intend to adopt and how they intend to do it.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a pioneering study in the investigation of Islamic religiosity and its influence on the intention to adopt GB. This is a pioneering study in the sense that it proposes a comprehensive religiosity construct using five intertwined dimensions in the literature of GB. This study offers an improved and broader insight assessment of Islamic religiosity, which would help emphasise its significance and utility for business-related decisions by developing an emotionally-driven link between GB practices and the Muslim-oriented consumer market towards increasing the latter’s engagement.

Sustainability has become a global need for survival in every field since the side effects of financial development have resulted in environmental devastation. Green banking (GB) has been proposed as a way to reduce the carbon footprint caused by banking operations by promoting paperless financial services through the intensive use of technology. However, the adoption level of GB technology remains unsatisfactory among customers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Therefore, using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), this study aims to comprehensively investigate the challenges affecting the intention of bank consumers in the UAE to adopt GB technology.

This study used exploratory sequential mixed-methods research. Preliminary semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten banking professionals using a purposive sampling technique to explore the challenges affecting consumers’ intention to adopt GB technology. Sequentially, the study tested various factors through a quantitative cross-sectional online survey of a sample of 332 bank customers and used the convenience sampling technique to obtain further empirical support for the research framework. Thematic content analysis using NVivo 11 was used for the qualitative data analysis. Meanwhile, partial least square structural equation modelling in Smart PLS 3.3 was used for the quantitative data analysis.

The qualitative analysis identified six new challenges affecting customers’ intention to adopt GB technology, including customer awareness, personal innovativeness, bank reputation, security and privacy, system quality and government support. The preliminary qualitative findings were confirmed mainly through quantitative data analysis, whereby customer awareness, personal innovativeness, system quality and bank reputation were found to significantly impact customers’ intention to adopt GB technology. However, the effects of security and privacy and government support were insignificant.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to propose a comprehensive model that considers individual, technological, organisational and environmental factors to address the issue of customers’ low GB technology adoption rates in the UAE. Meanwhile, this study extends the UTAUT by integrating new factors. This paper is also among the first to investigate customers’ GB technology adoption intention using a mixed-methods approach, which combines the strengths of quantitative and qualitative methods within the same study to offer better insights than a single-method approach.

This study aims to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the Muslim-friendly homestay business in Malaysia to help identify and recommend practical strategies to capitalize on the strengths and potentials while overcoming the current shortcomings and threats.

The Muslim-friendly business owner and operators in Sabah, Malaysia, were the subject of a series of focus groups and expert opinion interviews. The data was transcribed, and then the variables were categorized into the four SWOT categories using content and thematic analysis. Meanwhile, threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths (TOWS) analysis is used to identify the best strategy alternatives.

The SWOT analysis identifies several strengths (e.g. diverse and unique Islamic culture and heritage [S1], iconic Islamic landmarks [S2], rich natural beauty [S3], well-established halal tourism industry [S4]); weaknesses (e.g. limited awareness [W1], limited infrastructure and facilities [W2], limited human resources and trained personnel [W3], lack of Islamic tourism products and experiences [W4]); opportunities (e.g. growing demand for Islamic tourism [O1], increasing disposable income [O2], potential for collaborations [O3], potential for partnerships [O4], potential for expanding Sabah’s halal tourism offerings [O5]); and threats (e.g. competition [T1], political instability [T2], economic downturns [T3] and environmental and social challenges [T4]).

This paper could serve as a guideline and supplementary information for stakeholders in the homestay industry to grasp their business environment better.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its type to blend SWOT and TOWS analysis with the sector of Muslim-friendly homestays. Hence, the findings might expand understanding of the Muslim-friendly homestays industry and aid businesses in penetrating this growing market.

Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, this study aims to explore the factors influencing educators’ acceptance and utilization of chat generative pretrained transformer (ChatGPT) in the context of higher educational institutions. This study additionally examines the moderating influence of trust on the association between intention and adoption of ChatGPT.

A structured questionnaire was disseminated to 1,214 educators following the purposive sampling method. The hypothesized relationships between the extended UTAUT model constructs and ChatGPT adoption were examined using structural equation modeling.

The results of this study indicate positive impact of ChatGPT adoption and its use behavior (UB) among educators. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, facilitating conditions and habit have a positive impact on behavior intention to use this tool among educators in higher education institutions, However, the educators intend to use ChatGPT in a personal capacity and are negatively influenced by the social groups. Moreover, behavior intention to adopt ChatGPT has a larger effect on the UB due to the higher involvement of trust.

This research adds to the literature on technology adoption by emphasizing the significance of trust in the adoption of emerging technologies, such as big language models. This study’s findings have implications for ChatGPT technology developers, legislators and academics considering the implementation of ChatGPT for teaching and research.

This research investigates ChatGPT adoption among higher education educators using the UTAUT model. It emphasizes the role of trust in adoption, highlights key adoption factors and reveals a paradox: educators are personally inclined to use ChatGPT but hesitant due to negative social influence. This study's novelty lies in its focus on trust and its implications for developers, legislators and educators, offering valuable insights for integrating ChatGPT in education.

The huge Muslim population has increased the demand for halal tourism products and destination factors in this niche tourism segment. Despite the growing body of research conducted regarding ChatGPT’s revolutionary impact on the tourism industry, the use of such an artificial intelligence (AI) tool in halal tourism needs more attention. This study aims to provide a comprehensive an overview of using ChatGPT in the tourism industry, specifically in halal tourism, and offer an agenda for further essential research questions exploration.

Through the intensive examination of the tourism literature dealing with AI and halal tourism, this review identifies the implications related to the use of ChatGPT for Muslim travelers and future trends in halal tourism.

This paper identified the possible utilization of ChatGPT in assisting Muslim travelers across various stages of their journey, encompassing pre-trip, staying and post-trip phases. Subsequently, this paper identified the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing ChatGPT in the context of halal tourism. Finally, the paper delves into potential avenues for future research.

The findings serve as crucial implications, contributing to the theory of halal tourism development and the applications of ChatGPT in halal tourism.

This paper provides essential foundational knowledge for upcoming research on halal tourism theory, ChatGPT and the development of halal tourism sector.

This study aims to establish a comprehensive framework for adopting mobile-based artificial intelligence (AI) services in Tanzanian manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The methodology involved conducting a literature review and using the combination of Mobile Services Acceptance Model and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) as a theoretical foundation. This synthesis delves into the current knowledge on technology adoption, organizational behavior and innovation diffusion, creating a solid conceptual basis. Expert review was used for framework validation to ensure the framework's accuracy.

This study shows that the factors influencing the adoption of mobile-based AI services in Tanzanian manufacturing SMEs include perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, context, personal initiatives and characteristics, trust, infrastructure, cost, mobility, power distance, compatibility, observability and trialability.

The framework provides valuable insights tailored to Tanzanian sociocultural and economic nuances. However, its generalizability is limited due to its specificity to Tanzanian manufacturing SMEs.

The framework outlined in this research provides SME leaders, policymakers and technology implementers with valuable guidance to make informed decisions during the adoption process.

This study introduces a novel lens for understanding technology adoption. This study's focus on the Tanzanian context and its nuanced examination of contributing factors add to its originality and practical significance.