Revolutionizing Financial Services: The Interplay of Fintech Innovations and Customer-Centric Banking in the Digital Era

The study explores the impact of FinTech innovations on customer satisfaction (CS) via customer trust (CT) in digital banking. Although previous research has focused on technology acceptance and trust separately, few studies have considered their combined impact on post-adoption customer outcomes, especially in the booming digital banking markets of emerging economies like India, where the technological revolution makes the context both theoretically and practically relevant. This research takes a holistic view of FinTech by examining mobile banking, AI-based customer service, blockchain security, electronic payment, and customized financial services. Based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and Theory of Commitments-Trust, the study uses Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), which is appropriate for prediction and complex mediation, to examine data from 460 Indian bank customers. The results suggest that AI-based customer service and blockchain security are important determinants of CT, with digital payments having the most impact on CS. Crucially, CT does not directly impact satisfaction but plays a critical role in mediating the relationship between FinTech innovations and CS. The research advances the understanding by combining technology adoption and relationship marketing theories to understand trust development in FinTech-enabled banking. It offers practical implications for banks to develop secure, AI-powered, and customer-focused digital services to enhance long-term customer relationships and build trust.