Corporate Governance and Digital Innovation in Green FinTech: Mediated by Knowledge Management and Moderated by Supply Chain Collaboration

Abstract

The convergence of sustainability and digital transformation has given rise to Green FinTech a rapidly evolving field integrating financial innovation with environmental objectives. Despite its growing importance, limited empirical research has examined how internal organizational mechanisms and inter-organizational dynamics jointly influence digital innovation in Green FinTech, particularly within emerging markets. This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate governance on digital innovation in Green FinTech, while assessing the mediating role of knowledge management and the moderating effect of supply chain collaboration. Drawing on the Resource-Based View (RBV), the research conceptualizes these constructs as strategic capabilities that enable firms to achieve sustainable competitive advantage through innovation. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed, targeting middle and senior-level managers in Pakistan’s commercial banking sector, a critical stakeholder group in green financial transformation. Data were collected through a structured, self-administered questionnaire, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4.0. The results confirm that corporate governance has a significant and positive effect on digital innovation in Green FinTech. Knowledge management partially mediates this relationship, highlighting the critical role of intellectual resource integration in transforming governance structures into innovation outcomes. Supply chain collaboration significantly moderates the governance–innovation link, though in a negative direction, suggesting a complex interaction between internal control mechanisms and external partnerships. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of digital sustainability by integrating governance, knowledge, and collaboration within a unified framework.

Keywords: Corporate Governance, Digital Innovation, Green FinTech, Knowledge Management, Supply Chain Collaboration