Impact of FinTech Platform Quality on Digital Gold Investment Behaviour: The Mediating Role of Customer Trust

Abstract

Financial technology has revolutionized traditional investment methods, offering investors technology-driven and convenient investment options. Digital gold has been one such investment vehicle that enables people to buy, collect and invest in gold via FinTech platforms. This study aimed to explore the influence of FinTech Platform Quality on Digital Gold Investment Behaviour and the mediation of Customer Trust among Digital Gold Investors in Chennai. The study was conducted using a quantitative, descriptive and analytical research design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 530 digital gold investors as the respondents, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to analyse the proposed relationships in SmartPLS 4. The measurement model established satisfactory indicator reliability, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity and discriminant validity. The structural model results revealed that FinTech Platform Quality had a positive and significant influence on Digital Gold Investment Behaviour and Customer Trust. Customer Trust was also highly positively related with Digital Gold Investment Behaviour. The results of the mediation analysis also showed that Customer Trust partially mediated the relation between FinTech Platform Quality and Digital Gold Investment Behaviour, indicating that platform quality had a direct and indirect effect on investment behaviour through Customer Trust. The results highlight the need for platform reliability, efficiency, security, accuracy of information, and service performance to build customer trust and promote ongoing investments in digital gold. The study offers implications for FinTech service providers in order to improve platform quality, build investor confidence and encourage further adoption of technology-driven gold investment.