Earlier literature has shown that the implementation of FinTech innovations is not only determined by banks, financial institutions, or government support, but also by the perception and experiences of FinTech users. FinTech research has shown encouraging findings from scholars in developed countries. However, little is known about the users’ acceptance and use of FinTech in Jordan. The aim of this study is to investigate the determinants of users’ intentions and e-Loyalty toward FinTech adoption in Jordan post the COVID-19 era. A conceptual framework was developed by integrating the four original constructs of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), namely performance expectancy (PE), effort expectancy (EE), social influence (SI), and facilitating conditions (FC), with three additional factors: personal innovativeness (PI), financial literacy (FL), and uncertainty avoidance (UA). In addition, the proposed model considered the e-Loyalty of FinTech users as a consequence of having a good FinTech experience. A quantitative approach using a cross-sectional online questionnaire was applied to collect data from 423 FinTech users. Data were analyzed utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) based on AMOS 26.0 software package. The findings revealed that UA has a moderating effect on the relationship between FC and users’ intentions. Also, PI has a significant impact on PE and EE. While PE, SI, and FC are factors that enhance behavioral intentions. In return, it builds users’ e-Loyalty toward FinTech services and is deemed a new normal behavior. This study may help FinTech service providers and policymakers better understand the, currently relatively low, usage rate of FinTech, and how it contributes to the development of strategies that boost the acceptance and e-Loyalty of FinTech by Jordanian users after the COVID-19 era, where FinTech is still considered an innovation.

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) mandate and differences in national institutional quality on the underpricing of Initial Public Offering (IPO) companies. Design/methodology/approach Multiple Difference-in-Differences (DiD) ordinary least squares estimations were conducted for 100 corporations listed on the Saudi Arabian stock market using country-level institutional quality data from 2005 to 2017. Findings IFRS requirements and improvements in institutional quality have a combined effect on minimizing IPO underpricing. The analysis of the combined impact of IFRS requirements and differences in transparency revealed that IPO vendors leave $5 on average for IPO investors to cash out post the IFRS mandate, compared to $29 previously. Thus, IFRS serves as a quality certification instrument that alleviates IPO investors’ ex ante uncertainties, even in nations with undeveloped institutions. Practical implications The findings may be beneficial to researchers and policymakers. The results suggest that institutional quality enhancements and obligatory IFRS implementation highlight IFRS’s synergistic influence on the IPO market. While European harmonization efforts drove the adoption of IFRS in Europe in 2005, Saudi Arabia’s adoption of IFRS is not being driven by such initiatives (Daske et al., 2008; Persakis and Iatridis 2017). In reality, when IFRS was officially imposed in Saudi Arabia in 2008, it, like many other emerging market nations, made considerable reforms to its formal institutions. However, research on the combined impact of IFRS and disparities in institutional quality in emerging IPO markets remains sparse. Emerging markets represent more than half of economies that use IFRS. Therefore, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to conduct an empirical investigation to identify this combined effect in emerging countries using the DiD analytical technique. Equity market legislators remain concerned regarding IPO underpricing, as it has a detrimental influence on economic growth (Bova and Pereira, 2012; Jamaani and Ahmed, 2021; Mehmood et al., 2021). Depending on the degree of information asymmetry in national stock markets, underpricing costs increase the cost of going public for entrepreneurs. Consequently, prospective private firms are discouraged from accessing equity financing through the stock markets. This is likely to impede private sector development plans, causing a negative effect on economic growth. Originality/value Emerging countries represent over 50% of the IFRS mandating economies. However, there is insufficient research on the combined effect of IFRS requirements and improvements in institutional quality in developing IPO markets. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first empirical attempt to identify this combined effect in one of the largest developing countries. The results may aid academics and policymakers in better understanding the interaction between these two variables.

This article introduces new empirical evidence exploring the relationship between the introduction of Fair Value Disclosure (FVD) and audit fees, and the moderating effect of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) on this relationship. This study is primarily motivated by the limited and inconclusive research on the monitoring costs resulting from FVD. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method using a sample of 222 Jordanian firms during 2005–2018 is applied. The analysis finds that a greater level of FVD is the major cause of high audit fees. Results are more pronounced for firms with larger proportions of subjective FVDs (Level 3 assets). A significant negative (positive) impact of the precrisis (post-crisis) period on the association between the proportion of fair-valued assets and audit fees is confirmed. The regression results confirm the negative effect of pre-crisis period on moderating the association between the all-fair value input levels (Levels 1, 2 and 3 assets) and audit fees. The post-crisis period has a significant positive effect only in relation to Level 1 assets. Findings of this study provide policymakers and standards setters with updated evidence originating from a non-Western setting about the post-implementation costs of FVD.

This article inspects the likely outcome of using the fair value (FV) concept on audit firms’ anomalous audit fees. The research performs fixed effects regression to evaluate the given hypotheses using data gathered by hand from 105 Jordanian publicly traded enterprises between 2005 and 2018. The study reveals that FV proxies have a favorable and substantial effect on the atypical audit fees paid by Jordanian enterprises. The findings are more evident for businesses with a higher percentage of subjective FVs (level 3 assets). This research gives current empirical information on the effects of adopting IFRS/IAS for policymakers and standard setters. The results contribute by offering recommendations on the factors that influence audit fees for auditors and clients. The present research updates the Fair Value Disclosure (FVD) auditing model and adds new empirical data to close a gap in the auditing literature. It adds to the limited and inconclusive audit price studies already available by examining the post-implementation of FVD. This research gives current empirical facts on the consequences of adopting an FV model in Jordan for policymakers and standard setters. Additionally, this investigation adds by offering information on the factors that influence audit fees for both auditors and clients. The findings provide regulatory authorities with information on observing and regulating the audit vocation as well as on auditing FVD activities.

PurposeThis paper investigates the application of the product differentiation and shared efficiency approaches to understand the impact of the auditor industry specialisation (IS) on audit fees in relation to Fair Value Disclosures (FVD).Design/methodology/approachThe study uses 1,470 firm-year observations for the period 2005–2018 and is focused on Jordanian financial firms. Two competing theoretical approaches of IS proxied by audit fee-based measures were employed: firstly, the product differentiation approach measured using Market Share-based (MS) measure and secondly, the shared efficiency approach measured using Portfolio Share-based (PS) measure. The paper employs the Ordinary Least Squares regression to test the association between the proportion of fair-valued assets (using fair value hierarchy inputs) and audit fees.FindingsThe results suggest that the association between the proportion of fair-valued assets and audit fees is strengthened (weakened) when the client hires specialist auditors identified by MS (PS). This association varied across the fair value inputs. Level 1 assets were found to be only moderated by both scenarios positively (negatively) for MS (PS) experts. The results are robust after controlling the endogeneity of auditor self-selection.Practical implicationsThe results provide valuable insights for policymakers into challenges of auditing FVD. These insights present a valuable input for the development of FVD policies and practices as well as providing guidance for updating auditor prices. Additionally, the results provide a foundation for policymakers and regulators to introduce and update fair value auditing practices. The current findings are generalisable to other countries, including the Middle East and North Africa, and are particularly beneficial for those countries which have adopted the fair value model.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the theory by demonstrating the impact of the auditor industry expertise on post-implementation costs of FVD. The novelty of the study lies in introducing principle-based standards requirements of FVD to test the relationship. This approach is based on the IFRS disclosure requirements using data from the Jordanian financial sector to examine this relationship.