This empirical study examines how financial literacy and financial self?efficacy shape the financial management practices of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, with financial attitude conceptualized as a mediating construct. Employing a quantitative survey design, the research applies a non?probability convenience sampling technique, yielding 138 MSME owners who have operated their businesses for at least three years and hold primary responsibility for financial decisions. Data collected using a five?point Likert scale instrument are analyzed through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (SEM?PLS). The findings indicate that financial literacy exerts a positive and substantial influence on both financial attitude and financial management behavior, whereas financial self?efficacy significantly enhances financial attitude but does not show a significant direct effect on financial management behavior. Financial attitude itself emerges as a strong determinant of actual management practices and effectively mediates the impacts of both financial literacy and financial self?efficacy on financial management behavior. These results suggest that prudent financial conduct among MSME owners requires not only adequate knowledge and self?confidence but also the internalization of these elements into a constructive attitudinal frame, making the cultivation of robust financial attitudes critical for improving the quality of financial administration in small businesses.
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