The direct and indirect effects of financial influencer credibility on investment intention

In this study, the effect of financial influencer credibility on risky investment intention was researched. It was also evaluated whether confidence had a mediating role in this effect. In this context, data was collected from a total of 1000 participants between April and June 2023, based on convenience sampling and volunteering. The scale for financial influencer credibility, the independent variable, was developed within the scope of this study. In this regard, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes were conducted on the collected data, and then the research model was tested using CB-SEM. According to the findings, the direct effect of financial influencer credibility on risky investment intention was found to be positive and statistically significant. In addition, according to the mediation analysis, it was determined that confidence has a mediating role in the effect of financial influencer credibility on risky investment intention, and there is partial mediation. As a result, with this study, the concept of influencer was discussed financially for the first time and its impact on investor decisions was revealed.