Abstract

Sustained customer trust in digital banking supports stable customer relationships and stronger retention, and both outcomes can secure long-term revenue and profitability for banks. Banks consequently need credible mechanisms that strengthen trust in digital banking services under conditions of perceived risk and service uncertainty. The study develops a Competency Mechanism for Customer Trust Enhancement Model and examines associations among technological competency, ease of use, perceived usefulness, customer satisfaction, perceived value, and customer trust in digital banking services. The study is set in the Kingdom of Cambodia, and 490 bank customers completed a questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was used for hypothesis testing. Findings indicate that higher technological competency strengthens ease of use, perceived usefulness, and customer trust in digital banking services. Ease of use predicts perceived usefulness and customer satisfaction, and perceived usefulness predicts perceived value and customer trust. Customer satisfaction and perceived value further predict customer trust, which supports a capability-driven pathway to trust formation in digital banking services.