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This study investigates the psychological factors determining the effectiveness of intercultural communication between banking personnel and foreign clients, with the aim of developing evidence-based recommendations for improving service quality in multicultural banking contexts. For the first time in financial services research, the predictive power of individual Cultural Intelligence (CQ) components has been empirically differentiated within a banking service environment. The study verified the role of metacognitive CQ as a crucial mediator between cultural knowledge and actual behavioral adaptation - a mechanism that remained theoretically postulated but empirically unconfirmed in the financial services domain. Additionally, the research accounts for the unique wartime context of Ukraine as a moderating factor influencing the development of intercultural competence among banking staff. A mixed-methods research design was employed, combining quantitative psychodiagnostics using the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale and the Cultural Intelligence Scale with qualitative structured interviews based on the critical incident technique. The sample consisted of banking employees with experience serving foreign clients (n=104) and foreign clients of Ukrainian banks ( ) representing three cultural clusters: Western (Europe, North America), Middle Eastern, and Asian, with a minimum of 30 participants per cluster to ensure reliable intergroup comparisons. Data were analszed using correlational, multiple regression, and cluster analysis methods. Results demonstrated that the level of intercultural competence among personnel positively correlates with foreign client satisfaction ( 1). An asymmetric competence profile was identified: while banking staff demonstrated adequate levels of the affective component (respect for differences, engagement motivation), substantial deficits were recorded in behavioral ( ) and metacognitive ( ) CQ components. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that metacognitive and behavioral components are the strongest independent predictors of service quality ( ), whereas the cognitive component – knowledge about cultures – showed no significant effect. This finding challenges the prevalent logic in personnel management that «more cultural knowledge equals better interaction» and indicates the necessity of fundamentally reorienting training programs from informational to reflective-behavioral formats. Content analysis of critical incidents revealed five distinct categories of psychological barriers to intercultural interaction: verbal misunderstandings, differences in time perception and urgency, expectations regarding service personalization, nonverbal discrepancies, and attitudes toward documentation and formalities. The study proposes an integrative model of culturally competent banking service in which metacognitive CQ functions as the central mediator between available cultural knowledge and actual adaptive communicative behavior. Practical recommendations include implementing intercultural training programs emphasising behavioral flexibility and reflective practices, developing differentiated «cultural maps» of main client groups for internal use, and incorporating CQ diagnostics into personnel selection and certification procedures for staff working with foreign clients.