The ever-increasing acceptance of cryptocurrencies has fueled applications beyond investment purposes. Crypto-payment is one such application that can bring radical changes to financial transactions in many industries, particularly e-commerce and online retail. However, characteristics of the technology such as transaction disintermediation, lack of central authority, and lack of adequate regulations may introduce new privacy and security concerns among the users. This coincides with another trend of rising individuals’ concerns pertaining to information privacy and security issues in online transactions. The current paper investigates how consumer trust in crypto-payment, a key determinant of consumer intentions and relational exchanges over the long-term, is formed based on their perceptions towards privacy and security aspects of the technology. Using data from 327 survey participants, the study found that perceived information privacy risk, perceived anonymity, and perceived traceability of transactions are significant determinants of consumer trust in crypto-payment; but their perceptions of information security fraud risk have no significant effect. It also provided support for the hypothesis that perceived trust contributes to consumers’ intention to adopt crypto-payment. The findings highlight the need to enhance consumer understanding and awareness of information privacy and potential security issues in crypto-payment as well as what needs to be done to address consumer concerns in this regard. The paper creates novel insights into the requirements of trust in crypto-payment services and the consequences of consumers’ perceptions of privacy and security in this domain.
Blockchain has become an epidemic and significant decision that organizations may make in the next few years, enabling institutions to integrate business functions, operations, and processes in a decen- tralized distributed ledger technology. This technology will transform the business world and economy in solving the limitations created by centralization and system inefficiency. Accordingly, with the high demand and complexity of growing economies such as the HHH University countries, the need for a typical solution technology is a game changer. This will lead GCC to a solid economic base. Blockchain technology can be applicable in many different fields such as Banking, education, Health, finance, government and trade. This article will address the literature review and methodology of Blockchain technology and innovation at the GCC, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Also, more research can be conducted in the future as the system may be integrated in these countries.
I examine the style and skill of small, medium, and large Bitcoin traders using order book data from the largest U.S.-based exchange, Coinbase. I find that all but the smallest traders are contrarian---they buy when prices have fallen and vice versa---and the larger the traders, the more contrarian they are. Additionally, large Bitcoin traders anchor to the 30-, 90-, and 120-day highs. On the other hand, smaller investors mainly trade based on investor sentiment and attention. Decomposing the order flows, I find that contrarian trades positively predict Bitcoin returns, and consistently, larger traders who are contrarian on average show evidence of market timing skills. On the other hand, sentiment- and attention-induced trading, which are mainly implemented by smaller traders, have no predictive power for returns. Overall, the results are consistent with larger traders being compensated for providing liquidity to smaller investorsâ sentiment and attention-driven trades.
Ahmad Mousa Altamimi, Mahmood Ghaleb Al-Bashayreh, Mohammad Aloudat, Dmaithan Almajali
Sustainable Learning and Education (SLE) is a recent emerging philosophy founded on sustainability principles and in response to the UN announced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, technologies should be implemented to empower educational institutions to achieve SLE. This study aims to investigate the factors impacting the intentions of using blockchain technology for SLE in Jordanian universities. Accordingly, an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is proposed where five more factors are integrated. To this end, an extended model was proposed and validated using structural equation modeling based on 407 responses collected using an online survey. The results showed that adopted factors significantly impact blockchain use in SLE. We believe that the study finding would assist decision-makers in building systems for sustainable learning and education for the Jordanian higher educational institutes.
Bokolo Anthony, Sobah Abbas Petersen, Markus Helfert
Abstract Cities are actively deploying modern digital technologies to foster digitalization due to the emergence of data-driven innovations. Through modern digital technologies, municipalities aim to enhance services performance. Despite prior studies that focused on digital transformation in smart cities, there have been few studies aimed at managing service transformation and complexities needed to support cities in getting smarter. Also, as the deployment of information technology (IT) continues to grow within urban environment, there has been little research conducted that develops data-driven approach for digital services within urban environment. Additionally, cities are exploring methods of providing seamless mobility services based on collaboration among several enterprises and stakeholders in urban environment while achieving seamless data-driven services. Therefore, this study explores the adoption of Enterprise Architecture (EA) for digital transformations to achieve seamless urban mobility services. Qualitative data was collected using case study by interview from an organization that employs distributed ledger technology (DLT) to deploy digital services in smart cities. Findings from the interview sessions were modelled in ArchiMate language to illustrate the application of digital payment solution via DLT toward digitization of urban mobility services. The findings reveal that EA supports digital transformation of cities and manages data integration and alignment. Besides, findings from this study propose an EA approach to support urban planners and developers in understanding the actions required to implement digital transformation of their city services in becoming smarter.
The rapid growth of competitive gaming, driven by eSports and online multiplayer platforms, has created a demand for innovative solutions that enhance user engagement and experience. This paper proposes a Digital Innovation Model designed to improve competitive gaming through the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), blockchain, and cloud computing. The model emphasizes key areas, including AI-driven game personalization, intelligent matchmaking, immersive gameplay experiences, real-time analytics, and decentralized reward systems. A core aspect of the model is AI-powered engagement optimization, which enhances user retention by adapting game mechanics to individual player preferences. Additionally, smart matchmaking algorithms ensure fair and competitive gameplay by leveraging machine learning to balance skill levels. VR and augmented reality (AR) technologies further contribute to immersion, transforming competitive gaming into an interactive and deeply engaging experience. The integration of blockchain-based security solutions ensures transparency in competitive rankings, anti-cheat mechanisms, and in-game economies through NFT-based assets and decentralized finance (DeFi) models. Moreover, cloud gaming advancements enhance accessibility by reducing hardware dependency, enabling seamless cross-platform gaming experiences. The proposed model also explores social engagement innovations, such as enhanced voice and text chat features, virtual lobbies, and community-driven content creation. Case studies from leading gaming companies highlight the effectiveness of these technologies in fostering player engagement and long-term retention. However, ethical considerations, regulatory frameworks, and data privacy concerns must be addressed to ensure responsible gaming practices. By integrating these cutting-edge digital innovations, the proposed model aims to redefine competitive gaming, offering a more immersive, fair, and rewarding experience for players worldwide. Future research should focus on refining these technologies, addressing potential risks, and ensuring their sustainable implementation in the gaming industry.
Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the factors driving individualsâ behavioral intention to use cryptocurrency in Saudi Arabia using the extended TRA model. Background: Despite the great potential of cryptocurrencies and the exponential growth of cryptocurrency use throughout the world, scholarly research on this topic remained scarce. Whereas prior studies are mostly done in developed countries or specific cultural contexts, limiting the generalizability of their results, they mainly used technology adoption models that cannot fully explain the acceptance of new technology involved with financial transactions such as cryptocurrency and provided contradictory evidence. Entire regions have been excluded from the research on this topic, including Saudi Arabia which has a high potential to increase the volume of cryptocurrency use. Methodology: This study extends the theory of reasoned action (TRA) with the factors from technology adoption models that proved relevant for this topic, namely perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, perceived innovativeness, and perceived risk with three sub-factors: security, financial, and privacy risk. Data are collected using a quantitative research methodology from 181 respondents residing in Saudi Arabia and then analyzed by several methods, including exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and structural equation modeling (SEM). Contribution: This study contributes to the scientific knowledge by extending the TRA model with a range of factors from the technology adoption field, thus enabling the analysis of this topic from human, financial, and technology perspectives and providing additional empirical evidence on the factors that previously either provided contradictory evidence or were not explored in this field. This research also provides the first empirical data on this topic in Saudi Arabia and enables further research on the topic and a comparison of the results. The study also contributes to practice by enhancing the actual understanding of the phenomena and providing valuable information and recommendations for governments, investors, merchants, developers, and the general population. Findings: The study found attitude, subjective norm, perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, personal innovativeness, privacy risk, and financial risk as significant predictors of the intention to use cryptocurrencies, whereas the influence of security risk was not found to be significant in Saudi Arabia. Recommendations for Practitioners: Using this studyâs results, governments can create appropriate legal frameworks, developers can design fewer complex platforms, and merchants may create appropriate campaigns that emphasize the benefits of cryptocurrency use and transpire trust in cryptocurrency transactions by enhancing the factors with a positive impact, such as usefulness, enjoyment, and personal innovativeness while reducing concerns of potential users regarding the risky factors. By promoting a positive user experience, they can also improve attitudes and social norms towards cryptocurrencies, thus further stimulating the interest in their use. Recommendation for Researchers: As this study validated the influence of factors from technology, financial, and human-related fields, researchers may follow this approach to ensure a comprehensive analysis of this complex topic, especially as privacy risk was never examined in this context, while personal innovativeness, perceived enjoyment, financial, and security risk were explored in just a few studies. It is also recommended that researchers explore the impact of each part of subjective norms: social media, friends, and family, as well as how information on the benefits of cryptocurrencies affects the perception of the factors included. Impact on Society: Understanding the factors affecting cryptocurrency use can help utilize the full potential of cryptocurrencies, especially their benefits for developing countries reflected in safe, speedy, and low-cost financial transactions with no need for an intermediary. The research model of this study could also be used to investigate this topic in other contexts to discover similarities and differences, as well as to investigate other information systems. Future Research: Future studies should test this research model in similar and different contexts to determine whether its validity and study results depend on cultural and contextual factors. They can also include different or additional variables, or use mixed methods, as interviews would augment the comprehension of this topic. Future studies may also explore whether the impact of variables would remain the same if circumstances changed or use cases expanded, and how the preferences of the target population would change within a longitudinal time frame.
Studien syftar till att undersöka hur influencer marketing pÄverkar konsumenternas attityd och trovÀrdighet gentemot marknadsförda Non-Fungible Token (NFT) projekt. Begreppet influencer marketing syftar till marknadsföringsstrategin som handlar om att utveckla relationer med influencers som sedan marknadsför en produkt eller varumÀrke för att pÄverka sina följare. Strategin anvÀnds av företag inom olika marknadsomrÄden för att kunna förmedla och rekommendera produkter pÄ ett mer trovÀrdigt sÀtt. MÄnga konsumenter upplever att marknadsföring av företag Àr för kommersiellt vilket leder till mindre trovÀrdighet. Genom att anvÀnda sig av influencers för att marknadsföra produkter, kan detta stÀrka trovÀrdigheten och information som förmedlas. Influencer marketing anvÀnds Àven för att pÄverka konsumenter vid köp av NFT som blivit en populÀr trend att investera i eftersom det Àr en digital tillgÄng i form av konst och samlarobjekt. NFT köps online genom kryptovalutor och certifierar sedan en unik digital tillgÄng till sin Àgare. DÀremot finns det stora kunskapsluckor inom NFT vilket stÀller högre krav pÄ influencers expertis för att kunna fÄ en högre trovÀrdighet av konsumenter, dessutom Àr NFT-marknaden volatil dÄ priset korrelerar med Herding behavior och inlÀgg frÄn sociala medier. Den instabila NFT-marknaden ihop med osÀkerheten kring influencers trovÀrdighet skapar en försÀmrad effekt av förtroende i tvÄ olika led, dels influencer marketing och NFT. Studien baseras pÄ kvalitativa intervjuer med totalt 8 respondenter. FrÄgorna som formats i intervjuguiden har utgÄtt frÄn det teoretiska ramverket med teorier om influencer marketing, AIDA, Source Credibility, Herding behavior och Electronic word-of-mouth. Teorierna Àr viktiga faktorer för att förstÄ och generera kunskap om hur konsumenter pÄverkas av influencers gÀllande NFT. Resultatet av studien visar att influencers har en tydlig och allmÀn stor pÄverkan pÄ konsumenter. Dock Àr denna pÄverkan till en viss grÀns och skiljer sig beroende pÄ konsumenters tidigare erfarenheter. Om konsumenter Àr nya inom NFT har influencers haft en direkt pÄverkan pÄ köpbeslut, medans för de kunniga konsumenterna, blir pÄverkan endast till att bli uppmÀrksamma konsumenterna om NFT-projekt som presenteras. Sedan tas egna analyser och beslut sjÀlvstÀndigt av konsumenterna. Resultatet visar Àven att expertis Àr en vital faktor för att öka influencers trovÀrdighet, samt att nyansering och perspektiv av NFT-projekt Àr nÄgot som uppskattas av konsumenter.
With advances in internet technologies, innovative industrialization applying big data-based artificial intelligence is leading Industry 4.0. However, opportunities for the public to learn about virtual cryptocurrency or utilities based on blockchain technology are limited, except for Bitcoin. This lack of opportunities generates misunderstandings. This study ascertained and examined the determinants affecting the acceptance of new technologies on Jeju Island, Korea, where tourism is the dominant business. A total of 537 Jeju-do residents and potential visitors from the mainland were analyzed by conducting a partial least squares (PLS)- structural equation modeling (SEM) and one-group pretestâposttest design through a survey after observing a video clip on blockchain implementation on YouTube. The empirical analysis results showed the effect of blockchain trust transparency on the performance and effort expectancy. Facilitating conditions were found to be the most influential in blockchain technology acceptance. Following a video experiment introducing blockchain implementation as a currency for Jeju tourism, a significant positive change towards the implementation of blockchain was observed. This paper presents a concrete application of blockchain technology and shows the possibility of using social media (YouTube) to elicit user awareness and potential interest in the domestic tourism market.
The cryptocurrency enhances today's digital currency ecosystem. The use of cryptocurrencies leads to better understanding, higher intention, trust, and acceptance. However, the lack of cryptocurrency acceptance is a severe issue in the digital market. Cryptocurrency adoption is a requirement for implementing technology functionality supported by intentioned patterns. The main goal of this study is to examine the factors that influence cryptocurrency adoption in the digital market in Malaysia. The research also confidently concludes that cryptocurrencies would continue to increase in prevalence. This empirical study examined the role of trust (TR), transaction transparency (TT), volatility (VO), facilitating conditions (FC), performance expectancy (PE), and intention to use (ITU) in cryptocurrency adoption (AD). Therefore, the study identifies intention to use as a mediator of cryptocurrency adoption. Therefore it examined the significance of intention in the context of cryptocurrency adoption. Systematic random sampling was utilized in this study to ensure the most rigorous analysis of research objectives. Besides that, the survey questions were asked at the cryptocurrency consumers' location in Malaysia. Also, a total of 263 valid responses were taken for the final assessment. This study considered Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. Finally, the findings showed that TR, TT, VO, and FC are all found to help in the AD (dependent variable) through the mediation of intention to use (ITU) in Malaysia's digital market. On the other hand, performance expectancy negatively impacts the digital market of Malaysia. The findings in this study may be replicated by future researchers in different locations, in various industries, and then use equivalent constructions to expand our current body of knowledge. This paper extends the limited literature on the cryptocurrency and digital currency perspectives. Besides that, it helps to understand mediating impact on cryptocurrency adoption and intention to use. Moreover, identify the significant factors that affect the cryptocurrency in Malaysia's digital market.
Purpose-Cryptocurrency, which is one of the first products of blockchain technology, is preferred by more and more actors in addition to traditional investment tools. One of the factors over demographic and psychological factors that affect the financial investment decisions of individuals is gender. Although there are many studies in the academic literature on gender-related financial investment decisions, there is no research and data on cryptocurrencies. In this study, the factors affecting cryptocurrency investments are examined within the context of gender. Methodology-Survey model was used as a quantitative research method. With the computer aided survey research conductd in Turkey, gender-related behavioral and psychological differences in cryptocurrency investments were revealed and the survey findings were discussed over the information obtained from the literature review. Findings-With this research, it was seen that the gender factor was associated with both psychological and demographic factors. Cryptocurrencies are in the top 5 in men's financial investment instruments portfolio while 32.6 percent of women invest in cryptocurrencies. The level of knowledge about cryptocurrencies, which is effective in investment preferences, is at medium and high level at the rate of 64 percent for men however 60 percent of women have very limited or no knowledge about this investment tool. The first two of the factors that affect cryptocurrency investment decisions which are confidence and volatility also differ in terms of rank and proportion. Age-related cryptocurrency investment preferences do not differ by gender. This study shows that men follow their investments more frequently than women and do not avoid taking risks. Conclusion-With this research, gender-based main preference differences in cryptocurrency investments are revealed and an important resource is provided in this field, which has limited research, and contributes to the literature. It has been observed that women prefer different investment tools primarily due to lower income and lower level of knowledge about cryptocurrencies. Factors showing similarity based on gender were also found by this research.
Janet L. Hartley, William J. Sawaya, David Dobrzykowski
Purpose Despite blockchain's potential supply chain benefits, few organizations have moved beyond pilot projects. The paper aims to explore blockchain adoption intentions for supply chain applications using two theoretical perspectives: innovation diffusion theory (IDT) and institutional theory (IT). Design/methodology/approach Based on theory, five propositions were developed addressing the intention to adopt blockchain. The propositions were tested using scenario-based experiments with supply chain professionals. To provide additional insights, interviews with 21 supply chain professionals in 15 organizations representing 8 industries were content analyzed. Findings Experiments suggest that the intention to adopt blockchain is higher when there are government regulations regarding product origin, organizations are using updated cloud-based information systems and organizations are working with third-party consultants. The content analysis suggests that organizations that face normative pressures to adopt blockchain supply chain applications and recognize blockchain's relative advantage, compatibility and complexity are more likely to be actively seeking information about and adopting blockchain supply chain applications. The authors synthesize findings and provide new propositions to guide future research. Originality/value Using a multi-method approach, the study provides an important window into supply chain managers' perceptions of the necessary conditions to support organization-level blockchain adoption. The findings also indicate key characteristics present in supply chain networks poised for blockchain adoption.
Ihab K. A. Hamdan, Eli Sumarliah, Fauziyah Fauziyah
Purpose The study aims to deliver a decision support system for business leaders to estimate the potential for effective technological adoption of the blockchain (TAB) with a machine learning approach. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a Bayesian network examination to develop an extrapolative system of decision support, highlighting the influential determinants that managers can employ to predict the TAB possibilities in their companies. Data were gathered from 167 SMEs in the largest industrial sectors in Palestine. Findings The results reveal perceived benefit and ease of use as the most influential determinants of the TAB. Originality/value This research is an initial effort to examine factors influencing TAB in the perspective of SMEs in Palestine using machine learning algorithms.
Asad Ullah Khan, Zhiqiang Zhang, Milad Taleby Ahvanooey, Wajid Rafique
Purpose Blockchain technology is a distributed and decentralized public digital ledger, which is employed to save dynamic transaction data and static records across several computers so that each record could not be modified retroactively without the collusion of the network and alteration of all subsequent blocks. Recently, it has become immensely popular in digital resource sharing in different research areas such as healthcare, smart cities, cryptocurrency and libraries. Since the current eLibrary systems are vulnerable to issues such as unauthorized access, plagiarism, etc., there is a lack of access control system that can efficiently address these issues. Design/methodology/approach The authors designed a conceptual model for evaluating the users' intention in the use of blockchain-based digital libraries, which can facilitate the resource organization and provide additional security to interactive processes between users. To conduct our survey, the authors devised and shared two versions, English and Chinese, among 298 participants. Moreover, 7 PhD students participated in the pre-testing of the questioner design. The authors analyzed the demographic data using the Jamovi software and SmartPLS in order to generate the path modeling. Findings This study revealed that blockchain technology adaption in eLibraries is essential for enhancing the quality of services, infrastructure and resources for libraries. The studyâs results show that optimism, informativeness, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude and intention to use blockchain technology for accessing digital resources in libraries. Originality/value This study contributes to the adoption of blockchain technology in the digital library. To the best of the authorsâ knowledge, this work is the first empirical attempt to provide a new perspective of developing digital libraries based on security policies. This model shows the underpinning knowledge to manage digital resources, which can facilitate the design phases and enhance the management costs in eLibraries.