Psychological determinants of customer loyalty: The interplay of satisfaction, trust, and financial security in Ukrainian banks
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/im.22(1).2026.22
-
Article InfoVolume 22 2026, Issue #1, pp. 296–314
- 12 Views
-
2 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Type of the article: Research Article
Abstract
This study seeks to clarify the psychological mechanism through which trust, perceived financial security, and satisfaction jointly shape customer loyalty in Ukraine’s banking sector under heightened uncertainty. Building on the concept of institutional confidence, we conceptualize customers’ assurance as a unified latent state in which trust (relational expectation of reliability and integrity) and perceived security (cognitive sense of protection of funds and data) function as tightly interconnected facets rather than independent predictors. Employing Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) on a survey dataset obtained through Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) (n = 251), we ascertain that institutional confidence has a direct impact on loyalty (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) and an indirect impact through satisfaction (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), resulting in a cumulative effect of β = 0.68. The model explains 59% of the variance in loyalty. These findings indicate that customer satisfaction functions as the mechanism through which institutional confidence is transformed into customer loyalty. Institutional confidence creates a favorable baseline for evaluating the bank, whereas satisfaction reflects customers’ accumulated experience with service delivery; together they explain why confidence results in stable loyalty and recommendation intentions. These findings enhance behavioral finance and relationship marketing views by empirically validating the sequential route “security/trust → satisfaction → loyalty” and by establishing institutional confidence as a higher-order psychological factor of customer loyalty. The results highlight the strategic significance of transparency, data ethics, and protective infrastructure as essential factors for customer retention in crisis-prone settings.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)M31, D12, G21, C38
-
References99
-
Tables5
-
Figures2
-
- Figure 1. Theoretical model of loyalty formation based on institutional confidence (trust and security) and the mediating role of satisfaction in the banking contex
- Figure 2. The Interrelationship between trust, security, satisfaction, and loyalty toward the primary bank
-
- Table 1. Social and demographic profile of the sample
- Table 2. Reliability indicators for the Trust (Q3.1-Q3.3) and Security (Q4.1-Q4.5) scales
- Table 3. Descriptive correlations among NPS, CSAT, Trust, and Perceived Security
- Table 4. Collinearity diagnostics (VIF) for measurement indicators and structural predictors
- Table 5. Fit indices for loyalty formation models
-
- Aaker, J. L., Fournier, S., & Brasel, S. A. (2004). When good brands do bad. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 1-16.
- Abdelsalam, O., Chantziaras, A., Joseph, N., Tsileponis, N. (2024). Trust matters: A global perspective on the influence of trust on market risk in banking. Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Money, 92.
- Adams, C., Walpola, R., Schembri, A. M., & Harrison, R. (2022). The ultimate question? Evaluating the use of net promoter score in healthcare: A systematic review. Health Expectations, 25, 2328-2339.
- Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211.
- Akhgari, M., & Bruning, E. R. (2024). How Attitudes Translate to Loyalty: An Integrative Model in Service Relationship Marketing. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 23(4), 356-391.
- Albaity, M., & Rahman, M. (2021). Customer loyalty towards Islamic banks: The mediating role of trust and attitude. Sustainability, 13(19), 10655.
- Albarq, A. (2023). The impact of CKM and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty in Saudi banking sector: The mediating role of customer trust. Administrative Sciences, 13(3), 90.
- Aldboush, H. H. H., Abualigah, L., Heidari, A. A., Alshinwan, M., & Alazzam, H. (2023). Building trust in FinTech: An analysis of ethical and privacy issues. FinTech, 2(3), 502-525.
- Baehre, S. (2024). From Research to Action: Enhancing Net Promoter Score Utilization in Managerial Practice. International Journal of Market Research, 66(2-3), 174-181.
- Bain & Company. (2020). Net Promoter System℠: A management system for growth.
- Bandyopadhyay, S., & Martell, M. (2007). Does attitudinal loyalty influence behavioral loyalty? A theoretical and empirical study. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 14(1), 35-44.
- Başer, İ., Cintamür, İ., & Arslan, F. (2016). Examining the effect of brand experience on consumer satisfaction, brand trust and brand loyalty. Marmara Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi, 37(2), 101-128.
- Berry, L. L. (1995). Relationship marketing of services-Growing interest, emerging perspectives. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23(4), 236-245.
- Berry, L. L., Seiders, K., & Grewal, D. (2002). Understanding service convenience. Journal of Marketing, 66(3), 1-17.
- Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2003). Consumer-company identification: A framework for understanding consumers’ relationships with companies. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13(3), 76-86.
- Bhattacherjee, A. (2001). Understanding information systems continuance: An expectation-confirmation model. MIS Quarterly, 25(3), 351-370.
- Brakus, J. J., Schmitt, B. H., & Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand Experience: What is It? How is it Measured? Does it Affect Loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 52-68.
- Cardoso, A., & Cardoso, M. (2024). Bank reputation and trust: Impact on client satisfaction and loyalty for Portuguese clients. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 17(7), 277.
- Caruana, A. (2002). Service loyalty: The effects of service quality and the mediating role of customer satisfaction. European Journal of Marketing, 36(7/8), 811-828.
- Chaudhuri, A., & Holbrook, M. B. (2001). The chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to brand performance: the role of brand loyalty. Journal of Marketing, 65(2), 81-93.
- Chu, H., & Zhan, X. (2024). The Impact of Digital Banking Services on Customer Satisfaction. Frontiers in Business, Economics and Management, 15(3), 356-360.
- Coelho, P. S., & Henseler, J. (2012). Creating customer loyalty through service customization. European Journal of Marketing, 46(3/4), 331-356.
- Dawes, J. (2023). The net promoter score: What should managers know? International Journal of Market Research, 66(1).
- Devlin, J. F. (2025). Trust and FinTech: A review and research agenda. Electronic Markets.
- Dias, R. P., Wisker, Z. L., & Alani, N. H. S. (2025). Between Firewalls and Feelings: Modelling Trust and Commitment in Digital Banking Platforms. Journal of Cybersecurity and Privacy, 5(4), 89.
- Dick, A. S., & Basu, K. (1994). Customer loyalty: Toward an integrated conceptual framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 22(2), 99-113.
- Djunaedi, D., Laely, N., Lidiawan, A., & Putro, D. (2023). Policy strategy for transaction speed, data security and regulation in the banking industry: a case study on bank jatim karesidenan kediri and the impact of its contribution to bank performance. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 06(12).
- Escalas, J. E., & Bettman, J. R. (2003). You are what they eat: The influence of reference groups on consumers’ connections to brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13(3), 339-348.
- Felix, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., & Hinsch, C. (2017). Elements of strategic social media marketing: A holistic framework. Journal of Business Research, 70, 118-126.
- Fornell, C., Johnson, M. D., Anderson, E. W., Cha, J., & Bryant, B. E. (1996). The American Customer Satisfaction Index: Nature, purpose, and findings. Journal of Marketing, 60(4), 7-18.
- Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4), 343-373.
- Fu, S., Ma, R., He, G., Chen, Z., & Liu, H. (2023). A study on the influence of product environmental information transparency on online consumers’ purchasing behavior of green agricultural products. Frontiers in Psychology, 14.
- Garbarino, E., & Johnson, M. S. (1999). The different roles of satisfaction, trust, and commitment in customer relationships. Journal of Marketing, 63(2), 70-87.
- Gefen, D. (2000). E-commerce: The role of familiarity and trust. Omega, 28(6), 725-737.
- Gefen, D., Karahanna, E., & Straub, D. W. (2003). Trust and TAM in online shopping: An integrated model. MIS Quarterly, 27(1), 51-90.
- Gelbrich, K., & Roschk, H. (2010). A Meta-Analysis of Organizational Complaint Handling and Customer Responses. Journal of Service Research, 14(1), 24-43.
- Gökerik, M. (2024). The mediating role of brand trust in the effect of social media marketing on repurchase behavior. Turkish Journal of Marketing, 9(2), 36-51.
- Gwinner, K. P., Gremler, D. D., & Bitner, M. J. (1998). Relational benefits in services industries: The customer’s perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 26(2), 101-114.
- Haidt, J., & Joseph, C. (2004). Intuitive ethics: How innately prepared intuitions generate culturally variable virtues. Daedalus, 133(4), 55-66.
- Haidt, J. (2012). The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion. Pantheon Books. Haidt, J. (2012). The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion. Pantheon Books.
- Hogg, M. A., & Hains, S. C. (1996). Intergroup relations and group solidarity: Effects of group identification and social beliefs on depersonalized attraction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70(2), 295-309.
- Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1-55.
- Hussain, S., Melewar, T. C., Priporas, C.-V., Foroudi, P., & Dennis, C. (2020). Examining the effects of celebrity trust on advertising credibility, brand credibility and corporate credibility. Journal of Business Research, 109, 472-488.
- Jacoby, J., Chestnut, R. W., & Fisher, W. A. (1978). A Behavioral Process Approach to Information Acquisition in Nondurable Purchasing. Journal of Marketing Research, 15(4), 532-544.
- Jafri, J. A., Mohd Amin, S. I., Abdul Rahman, A., & Mohd Nor, S. (2024). A systematic literature review of the role of trust and security on FinTech adoption in banking. Heliyon, 10(1), e22980.
- Johnson, D., & Grayson, K. (2005). Cognitive and affective trust in service relationships. Journal of Business Research, 58(4), 500-507.
- Kaur, S., Ali, L., Hassan, M., & Al-Emran, M. (2021). Adoption of digital banking channels in an emerging economy: exploring the role of in-branch efforts. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 26(2), 107-121.
- Keiningham, T. L., Cooil, B., Andreassen, T. W., & Aksoy, L. (2007). A Longitudinal Examination of Net Promoter and Firm Revenue Growth. Journal of Marketing, 71(3), 39-51.
- Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (4th ed.). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
- Kurniadi, H., & Rana, J. A. S. (2023). The power of trust: How does consumer trust impact satisfaction and loyalty in Indonesian digital business? Innovative Marketing, 19(2), 236-249.
- Lam, S. Y., Shankar, V., Erramilli M. K., & Murthy, B. (2004). Customer value, satisfaction, loyalty and switching costs: An illustration from a business-to-business service context. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 32(3), 293-311.
- Lestari, S., Adawiyah, W., Alhamidi, A., Prayogi, J., & Haryanto, R. (2024). Navigating perilous seas: unmasking online banking frauds, perceived usefulness, fear of cybercrime and distrust in online banking. Safer Communities, 23(4), 444-464.
- Levy, S., & Hino, H. (2016). Emotional brand attachment: A factor in customer-bank relationships. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 34(2), 136-150.
- Lewicki, R. J., & Bunker, B. B. (1996). Developing and maintaining trust in work relationships. In R. M. Kramer & T. R. Tyler (Eds.), Trust in organizations: Frontiers of theory and research (pp. 114-139). SAGE.
- Matute-Vallejo, J., Bravo, R., & Pina, J. M. (2011). The influence of corporate social responsibility and price fairness on customer behaviour: Evidence from the financial sector. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 18(6), 317-331.
- Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709-734.
- McAllister, D. J. (1995). Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 38(1), 24-59.
- McKnight, D. H., & Chervany, N. L. (2001). What Trust Means in E-Commerce Customer Relationships: An Interdisciplinary Conceptual Typology. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 6(2), 35-59.
- McKnight, D. H., Choudhury, V., & Kacmar, C. (2002). Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce: An integrative typology. Information Systems Research, 13(3), 334-359.
- Medina-Quintero, J. M., Pineda, D., Vite, H., & Avila, A. (2022). Confianza y calidad de la información para la satisfacción y lealtad en el e-Banking con el uso del teléfono móvil [Trust and quality of information for satisfaction and loyalty in e-Banking using mobile phones]. Contaduría y Administración [Accounting and Administration], 67(1).
- Mittal, V., Han, K., Frennea, C., Blut, M., Shaik, M., Bosukonda, N., Sridhar, S. (2023). Customer satisfaction, loyalty behaviors, and firm financial performance: What 40 years of research tells us. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 51, 1583-1614.
- Morgan, N. A., & Rego, L. L. (2006). The value of different customer satisfaction and loyalty metrics in predicting business performance. Marketing Science, 25(5), 426-439.
- Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20-38.
- Natalia, U., Rizan, M., & Rahmi. (2021). The influence of celebrity endorser toward emotional attachment and brand trust that impact to purchase intention. Jurnal Dinamika Manajemen dan Bisnis [Journal of Management and Business Dynamics], 4(2), 1-20.
- National Bank of Ukraine. (2025). Operations with payment cards by participants of card payment systems (Table 4; as of 01 June 2025) [Data set].
- Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4), 460-469.
- Oliver, R. L. (2010). Consumer brand loyalty. In J. N. Sheth & N. K. Malhotra (Eds.), Wiley International Encyclopedia of Marketing. John Wiley & Sons.
- Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41-50.
- Park, C. W., Macinnis, D. J., Priester, J., Eisingerich, A. B., & Iacobucci, D. (2010). Brand Attachment and Brand Attitude Strength: Conceptual and Empirical Differentiation of Two Critical Brand Equity Drivers. Journal of Marketing, 74(6), 1-17.
- Pavlou, P. A. (2003). Consumer acceptance of electronic commerce: Integrating trust and risk with the technology acceptance model. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 7(3), 69-103.
- Pavlou, P. A., & Gefen, D. (2004). Building effective online marketplaces with institution-based trust. Information Systems Research, 15(1), 37-59.
- Pérez, A., & Rodríguez del Bosque, I (2015). Corporate social responsibility and customer loyalty: exploring the role of identification, satisfaction and type of company. Journal of Services Marketing, 29(1), 15-25.
- Purwanto, E., Deviny, J., & Mutahar, A. (2020). The mediating role of trust in the relationship between corporate image, security, word of mouth and loyalty in m-banking using among the millennial generation in Indonesia. Management & Marketing, 15(2), 255-274.
- Rahman, Moh., & Rahman, Muf. (2023). Impact of digital financial services on customers’ choice of financial institutions: a modified UTAUT study in Bangladesh. International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering, 13(3), 409-421.
- Ramayanti, R., Rachmawati, N. A., Azhar, Z., & Nik Azman, N. H. (2024). Exploring intention and actual use in digital payments: A systematic review and roadmap for future research. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 13, 100348.
- Reichheld, F. F. (2003). The One Number You Need to Grow. Harvard Business Review, 81(12), 46-54.
- Reichheld, F. F. (2006). The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth. Harvard Business Review Press.
- Rempel, J. K., Holmes, J. G., & Zanna, M. P. (1985). Trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 95-112.
- Rotter, J. B. (1980). Interpersonal trust, trustworthiness and gullibility. American Psychologist, 35(1), 1-7.
- Ryu, H., & Ko, K. (2020). Sustainable development of fintech: focused on uncertainty and perceived quality issues. Sustainability, 12(18), 7669.
- Sathar, M., Rajagopalan, M., Naina, S., & Parayitam, S. (2022). A moderated-mediation model of perceived enjoyment, security and trust on customer satisfaction: evidence from banking industry in India. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 17(3), 656-679.
- Schnackenberg, A. K., & Tomlinson, E. C. (2016). Organizational Transparency: A New Perspective on Managing Trust in Organization-Stakeholder Relationships. Journal of Management, 42(7), 1784-1810.
- Schneier, B. (2015). Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World. W.W. Norton & Company.
- Sen, S., & Bhattacharya, C. B. (2001). Does doing good always lead to doing better? Consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility. Journal of Marketing Research, 38(2), 225-243.
- Sirdeshmukh, D., Singh, J., & Sabol, B. (2002). Consumer trust, value, and loyalty in relational exchanges. Journal of Marketing, 66(1), 15-37.
- Song, X., Gu, H., Li, Y., & Ye, W. (2022). A systematic review of trust in sharing accommodation: progress and prospects from the multistakeholder perspective. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(4), 1156-1190.
- Souiden, N., Ladhari, R., & Chaouali, W. (2021). Mobile banking adoption: a systematic review. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 39(2), 214-241.
- Stewart, K. J. (2003). Trust transfer on the World Wide Web. Organization Science, 14(1), 5-17.
- Szymanski, D. M., & Henard, D. H. (2001). Customer satisfaction: A meta-analysis of the empirical evidence. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 29(1), 16-35.
- Tax, S. S., Brown, S. W., & Chandrashekaran, M. (1998). Customer Evaluations of Service Complaint Experiences: Implications for Relationship Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 62(2), 60-76.
- Tomlinson, E. C., & Schnackenberg, A. (2022). The effects of transparency perceptions on trustworthiness perceptions and trust. Journal of Trust Research, 12(1), 1-23.
- Trusov, M., Bucklin, R. E., & Pauwels, K. (2009). Effects of Word-of-Mouth versus Traditional Marketing: Findings from an Internet Social Networking Site. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 90-102.
- Tyler, T. R. (2006). Why People Obey the Law. Princeton University Press.
- Urban, G. L., Amyx, C., & Lorenzon, A. (2009). Online trust: State of the art, new frontiers, and research potential. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 23(2), 179-190.
- Van Vaerenbergh, Y., & Orsingher, C. (2016). Service recovery: An integrative framework and research agenda. Academy of Management Perspectives, 30(3), 328-346.
- Xie, Q. (2025). Live streamers impact on consumer purchase intention: Exploring social presence, trust and innovation acceptance. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 1-31.
- Xie, Q., Mahomed, A. S. B., Mohamed, R., & Subramaniam, A. (2024). How live streamers can motivate consumers’ purchase intention: An empirical study based on social presence, trust, and innovation acceptance. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(3).
- Yin, L., & Lin, H. (2022). Predictors of customers’ continuance intention of mobile banking from the perspective of the interactivity theory. Economic research – Ekonomska istraživanja, 35(1), 6820-6849.
- Zhang, W., Siyal, S., Riaz, S., Ahmad, R., Hilmi, M. F., & Li, Z. (2023). Data Security, Customer Trust and Intention for Adoption of Fintech Services: An Empirical Analysis From Commercial Bank Users in Pakistan. Sage Open, 13(3).


