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Abstract
This dissertation consists of three essays investigating the various aspects of mobile fintech, such as mobile investment trading applications, mobile banking, mobile transfers, mobile payment, and mobile cash management tools, in order to gain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the demand for and utilization of fintech-based services. The first essay investigates the relationship between financial knowledge and the reliance on various sources of information for investment decisions, including mobile fintech apps, financial professionals, and social networks. Both objective and subjective investment-specific financial knowledge are found to play a significant yet distinct role in the association between mobile financial technology reliance and investment decisions. The second essay examines how financial stress, over-indebtedness, and financial stressors relate to the utilization of mobile fintech. The findings in this essay indicates that stress factors are positively associated with using mobile fintech, suggesting that mobile financial technology may serve as a coping resource for those experiencing financial stress when seeking financial services. The third essay adapts a financial capability framework to explore the utilization of mobile fintech applications by examining the antecedence and outcome factors associated with mobile fintech. This essay fills a gap in the literature by investigating the relationships between mobile fintech usage, positive financial behaviors, and financial well-being. As expected, receiving financial education increases the likelihood of adopting mobile fintech for financial services. Unexpectedly, this essay also revealed that individuals with higher financial literacy are less likely to use mobile fintech. Mobile fintech is negatively associated with desirable financial behaviors and indirectly associated with decreased financial well-being. These results demonstrate the need for further investigation into promoting mobile fintech to enhance financial well-being. Implications for financial planner, financial counselors, and policymakers were also presented in this dissertation.