Financial sustainability and the integration of metaverse finance, fintech innovation, green capacity, digital innovation and digital marketing

The banking sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) faces increasing challenges in maintaining financial sustainability amid rapid digital transformation and technological disruption. To address this issue, this study highlighted the role of metaverse finance, digital marketing education at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), digital innovation and FinTech in financial sustainability. In addition, this study addressed the moderating role of digital marketing education at HEIs to promote digital innovation through implementation of metaverse practices. A questionnaire was prepared to collect data from the employees of banks in UAE. Two hundred and thirty (230) valid responses were received and used for data analysis. The results reveal that metaverse finance has a strong positive effect on digital innovation technology (β = 0.515, p < 0.001). Digital innovation technology significantly enhances FinTech innovation (β = 0.698, p < 0.001), green capacity (β = 0.698, p < 0.001), and financial sustainability (β = 0.139, p < 0.01). While green capacity positively influences financial sustainability (β = 0.124, p < 0.05) and mediates the digital innovation–financial sustainability relationship (β = 0.087, p < 0.05), FinTech innovation shows no significant direct or mediating effect. Furthermore, digital marketing education at HEIs significantly moderates the relationship between metaverse finance and digital innovation technology (β = 0.039, p < 0.05) but does not moderate the link between digital innovation technology and financial sustainability. These findings highlight the central role of metaverse-driven digital innovation and green capacity in strengthening financial sustainability, offering important implications for banks, HEIs, and policymakers in emerging digital economies.