Impact of FinTech and green transformational leadership on ESG with the mediating role of green competitive advantage

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Department of Financial Management and accounting, ST.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Applying FinTech and paying attention to environmental issues in today's competitive world has become not only an advantage, but also an inevitable necessity for organizations. In other words, we are in an era where a one-dimensional focus on economic issues cannot help organizations achieve success, and managers, in addition to drawing a profitability perspective, must also pay special attention to sustainability performance; therefore, this study examines the impact of FinTech and green transformational leadership on sustainability performance (ESG) with the mediating role of green competitive advantage. The research method is based on an applied objective and on a descriptive survey implementation and a statistical population including employees and managers of Parsian Bank in Tehran. To collect information, standard questionnaires and to examine the research hypotheses, structural equation modeling with SmartPLS software has been used. The results show that FinTech and green transformational leadership have an impact on green competitive advantage and sustainability performance (ESG). It was also observed that green competitive advantage plays a mediating role in the impact of FinTech and green transformational leadership on sustainability performance. Therefore, it can be concluded that by using FinTech and implementing a green transformational leadership style, sustainability and environmental performance will improve and a green competitive advantage will be created for the bank.

Keywords

Subjects


  1. چیستی، سوزان. اوهنلون، استیوان (1398). فین­تک به زبان ساده، ترجمه حسن موحد و مرتضی حمزه سرکانی، انتشارات راه پرداخت
  2. حاجی زاده فارسون، مجتبی، جاجرمی زاده، محسن، و محتشمی، علی (1401).  طراحی مدل استقرار مدیریت منابع انسانی سبز در سازمان‌های دولتی کشور. علوم و فنون مدیریت اطلاعات، 8(2)، 114-73. DOI: 10.22091/STIM.2021.6419.1506
  3. حمیدپور، زینب (1401). مدیریت سبز و چالش‌های اجرای آن، دومین کنفرانس ملی محیط زیست سالم و توسعه پایدار در پرتو حقوق شهروندی، چالش‌ها و راهبردها، شیراز.
  4. دالوند، وحید. سپهوند، رضا و امیر هوشنگ نظرپوری (1400). اثر سرمایه فکری روی مزیت رقابتی و عملکرد سازمانی با نقش میانجی نوآوری و فرهنگ یادگیری اعضای هیات علمی دانشگاه لرستان، فصلنامه رشد فناوری، شماره 69، دوره 18، زمستان 1400، صص 34-45، DOI: 10.52547/jstpi.20925.18.69.34
  5. سلیمانی، مریم، رسته، عاطفه (1400). تصمیم‌گیری راهبردی پایدار سازمانی. فصلنامه مطالعات مدیریت راهبردی. 1400؛ 12 (48):169-189. DOI: 20.1001.1.22286853.1400.12.48.3.3
  6. شرعی، زهره و محبی فر، مجتبی (1404). سبزسازی سازمانی: نقش رهبری تحول‌آفرین و مدیریت منابع انسانی سبز در دستیابی به پایداری، اکولوژی انسانی، دوره 4، شماره 11، صص 978-991،  https://doi.org/10.22034/he.2025.508657.1067
  7. طاهری لاری، مسعود و ناصری، کاظم (1401). تاثیر رهبری تحول‌آفرین سبز بر نوآوری سبز و بهره‌وری زیست محیطی با نقش متغیر میانجی منابع انسانی سبز، فصلنامه مدیریت سبز، 1(2)، صص 85-69.
  8. عارف منش، زهره. رامشه، منیژه و طباخی، رضا (1403). نقش فین­تک بر شیوه‌های اقتصاد چرخشی برای بهبود عملکرد پایداری، فصلنامه سیاست­گذاری اقتصادی، دوره 16، شماره 31، شهریور 1403، صص 309-344. DOI: 10.22034/EPJ.2024.20935.2537
  9. طباطبایی نسب، سید محمد و ماه آور پور، فهیمه (1397). عوامل تاثیر‌گذار بر ارتقای شهرت فناوری و نقش آن بر عملکرد کسب‌و‌کار شرکت. مدیریت توسعه فناوری، 5(4)، 103-132.DOI:  10.22104/JTDM.2018.2859.1965
  10. قربان‌پور، احمد، بالوئی جامخانه، هادی، حیدر، احمدی (1401). خلق ارزش پایدار سازمانی با نقش محیط‌گرایی و فرآیندهای خدمات سبز. فصلنامه مطالعات مدیریت راهبردی. 1401؛ 13(51):63-81DOI: 10.22034/smsj.2022.157944
  11. کرمی، آرزو و اسماعیل پورمقدم، هادی. (1404). اثر فناوری مالی بر سودآوری بخش بانکداری در ایران. جستارهای اقتصادی با رویکرد اسلامی، دوره22، شماره46: 135-115. DOI: 10.30471/IEE.2025.10682.2479
  12. Alsayegh, M. F., Abdul Rahman, R., & Homayoun, S. (2020). Corporate economic, environmental, and social sustainability performance transformation through ESG disclosure. Sustainability, 12(9), 3910. doi.org/10.3390/su12093910
  13. Almaqtari, Faozi A. (2024). The moderating role of IT governance on the relationship between FinTech and sustainability performance. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity 10 (2024) 100267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2024.100267
  14. Annarelli, A., Battistella, C., & Nonino, F. (2020). Competitive advantage implication of different Product Service System business models: Consequences of ‘not replicable’capabilities. Journal of Cleaner Production, 247, 119121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119121
  15. Ashenafi, B.B.; Dong, Y.(2022) Financial Inclusion, Fintech, and Income Inequality in Africa. FinTech , 1, 376-387. https://doi.org/10.3390/fintech1040028
  16. Chatterjee, S. Chaudhuri, R. Vrontis, D (2023). Creating Organizational Value and Sustainability through Green HR Practices: an Innovative Approach with the Moderating Role of Top Management Support, Bus Ethics, Environ Responsib, 2023.  https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12569
  17. Chiu, C. N., & Yang, C. L. (2019). Competitive advantage and simultaneous mutual influences between information technology adoption and service innovation: Moderating effects of environmental factors. Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 49, 192- 205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.strueco.2018.09.005
  18. Du, Y. Yan, M (2022). Green Transformational Leadership and Employees' taking charge behavior: The mediating role of personal initiative and the moderating role of green organizational identity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (7) (2022), p. 4172, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074172
  19. Fan, Z., Chen, Y., Mo, Y (2024). Management myopia and corporate ESG performance. Int. Rev. Financ. Anal. 92, 103071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2024.103071
  20. Galeone, G., Ranaldo, S., & Fusco, A. (2024). ESG and FinTech: Are they connected?. Research in International Business and Finance, 69, 102225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2024.102225.
  21. Hilton, S.K., Arkorful, H. and Martins, A., (2021). Democratic leadership and organizational performance: the moderating effect of contingent reward. Management Research Review. Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 44(7), pages 1042-1058, February. DOI: 10.1108/MRR-04-2020-0237
  22. Hou, N., Qianying, Z., Wanzheng, Z., Yuanyuan, L., Wenwen, L.(2022). Study on the impact of green management of paper enterprises on carbon performance in the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, Energy Reports Volume 8, November 2022, Pages 10991-11002. DOI:10.1016/j.egyr.2022.08.210
  23. Liu, S., Xu, R., & Chen, X. (2021). Does green credit affect the green innovation performance of high-polluting and energy-intensive enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28(46), 65265-65277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15217-2
  24. Kim, J.J. and Hemmert, M. (2016), “What drives the export performance of small and medium-sized subcontracting firms? A study of korean manufacturers”, International Business Review, Vol. 25, 2, 511-521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2015.09.002
  25. Kurniawan, A.R., Martini, N.N.P. and Herlambang, T., (2020). Pengaruh kepemimpinan transformasional, kompetensi kerja dan motivasi kerja terhadap kinerja pegawai bank jatim situbondo. Jurnal Manajemen Dan Bisnis Indonesia, 6(1), pp.102-110.
  26. Leroy, H., Segers, J., van Dierendonck, D., & den Hartog, D. (2018). Managing people in
    organizations: Integrating the study of HRM and leadership. Human Resource Management Review, 28(3), 249–257. doi:10.1016/J.HRMR.2018.02.002
  27. Liem, V.T. Hien, N.N (2024). The impact of managers’ attitudes towards environmental management accounting and green competitive advantage in Vietnam manufacturers. Heliyon 10 (2024) e33565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33565
  28. Liu, Y., Saleem, S., & Shabbir. (2021). The relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance: A Moderate Role of Fintech Technology. Environ Sci Pollut Res, 28: 20174–20187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11822-9
  29. Liu, B. Chen, Z. Wang, Y. Sun, X (2025). Fintech empowers enterprises to practice ESG: The role of political background of executives. Energy Economics Volume 142, February 2025, 108183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108183
  30. Najaf, K., Haj Khalifa, A., Obaid, SM., You, X., & Chang, V. (2023). Does Sustainability Matter for Fintech Firms? Evidence from United States Firms. Compet Rev an Int Bus J, 33: 161–180. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-10-2021-0132
  31. Noor Faezah, J. Yusliza, M.Y. Ramayah, T. Teixeira, A.A. Alkaf, A.R (2024). Mediating role of green culture and green commitment in implementing employee ecological behaviour Journal of Management Development, 43 (3) (2024), pp. 253-282, DOI:10.1108/JMD-08-2023-0258
  32. Sanusi, I., Farida, I., & Sopiah. (2023). Green transformational leadership: Systematic literature review. Asian Journal of Economics and Business Management, 2(2), 511–521. https://doi.org/10.53402/ajebm.v2i2.314
  33. Singh, S. K., Giudice, M. D, Chierici, R., & Graziano, D. (2020). Green innovation and
    environmental performance: The role of green transformational leadership and
    green human resource management. Technological Forecasting and Social Change,
    150, 119762. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2019.119762
  34. Sun, X., El Askary, A., Meo, M. S., Zafar, N. A., & Hussain, B. (2022). Green transformational leadership and environmental performance in small and medium enterprises. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istrazivanja. doi:10.1080/ 1331677X.2021.2025127
  35. Tian, H. Siddik, A.B. Pertheban, T.R. Rahman, M.N (2023). Does fintech innovation and green transformational leadershipim prove green innovation and corporate environmental performance? A hybrid SEM−ANN approach. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge 8 (2023) 100396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2023.100396
  36. Torun T. (2023). The effects of green transformational Leadership on the Green Behavior of businesses, the Environment and the Green performance. J Social Sci Inst. 2023;61:31–53.
  37. Usman, A. Y. U., Halidu, S. I., & Mohammad, S. W. (2025). Impact of Fintech Adoption on Operational Resilience and Financial Inclusion Among Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria's Informal Sector. DOI: 10.58806/ijmir.2025.v2i5n02.
  38. Wang, X., & Luo, Y. (2020). Has technological innovation capability addressed environmental pollution from the dual perspective of FDI quantity and quality? Evidence from China. Journal of Cleaner Production, 258, Article 120941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120941
  39. Wang, L & Yang, L (2024). Corporate ESG performance and trade credit financing: Moderating effect of life cycle. Borsa Istanbul Review Volume 24, Issue 4, July 2024, Pages 818-827. DOI:10.1016/j.bir.2024.04.012