Robo-advisory financial services and the dynamics of new innovation in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Many individuals seek guidance from experts to obtain financial services. Robo-Advisors (RAs) have recently replaced human financial advisors due to concerns about high professional fees, behavioural bias, conflicts of interest, etc. From this study, we wanted to know the adoption intentions and various determinants impacting RAs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) is employed to examine the data with a sample size of 1361 respondents from the KSA to determine the adoption factors for RAs. The study revealed that usefulness, perceived benefits, and policy interventions positively affect the adoption of RAs in KSA. The current research provides a comprehensive behavioural framework to understand RA's adoption by Saudi Arabian investors while also including the dimension of policy initiative by the governing authority.

Keywords

• Robo-advisor/s
• Adoption intention
• Perceived benefits
• Risk
• Policy interventions