A scarce literature guides the examination of FinTech adoption on SMEs' sustainable performance via the mediation of green finance on green innovation, with the moderating effect of ESGTL and green innovation strategy. Data were collected from 250 SME managers and owners from Pakistan and Malaysia for comparative perspectives, and CB-SEM was applied for data analysis. Results revealed FA's significant effect on SMEs' SP in both countries. GF partially mediates the effect of FA on GI in Malaysia, whereas complete mediation prevails between the constructs in Pakistan. GI fully mediates the effect of GF and SP in both countries. Higher involvement in green innovation strategy moderates the increase in the changes to focus on green finance practices. The higher commitment to ESGTL increases the influence of green financing on green innovation applications in both countries. Lastly, ESGTL improves green innovation's role in attaining sustainable performance for Malaysian SMEs compared to Pakistan. Findings contribute to the enduring literature on fintech and the sustainable performance of SME firms from the perspective of growing economies. Furthermore, it confirms the importance of FA, GF, and GI in enhancing the SP of SME firms, and in due course, confirms the sustainable financial advancement of a country.

This study examines how ecotourism experiences influence destination image by proposing and empirically testing an integrated "experience → engagement → co-creation → image" model, grounded in the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework and informed by theories of experience economy and service-dominant logic. Using survey data from 770 ecotourists, we employed confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrap mediation tests to assess both direct and mediated pathways. The results reveal that sensory, situational, and perceptual dimensions of the ecotourism experience evoke tourist engagement; the experience also directly contributes to value co-creation, while engagement further enhances co-creative behaviors. Engagement and value co-creation sequentially mediate the effect of experience on destination image, with co-creation emerging as the dominant driver of the destination image. These findings reconceptualize destination image as a socially co-constructed outcome and offer actionable insights for destination managers to design immersive experiences and facilitate co-creation platforms that advance sustainable branding.