This paper examines the moderating effect of corporate digital transformation in the relationship between audit quality and aggressive tax avoidance in the sample of industrial companies listed on the ASE and operating during the 2020–2025 period. They were based on data of a balanced panel of 30 industrial companies listed on the ASE 180 observations. The primary estimator used was the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method that was employed after it was established that first-order autocorrelation, groupwise heteroskedasticity, and partial cross-sectional dependence existed. System-GMM estimator was used to confirm the robustness of the results, and to deal with the endogeneity that may arise due to reverse causality between auditor selection and result. There are three key findings of the study. First, there is a strong and consistent negative relationship between affiliation with one of the Big Four audit firms and aggressive tax avoidance in all the models studied, confirming that reputation-based audit quality is an effective institutional deterrent a finding of particular importance given that 73.3% of the Jordanian industrial firms in the sample rely on local auditors and therefore lack similar governance controls. Second, aggressive tax avoidance is positively related to higher audit fees, which are indicative of a more complex client base and an economic dependence on clients by the auditor, rather than a signal of greater monitoring rigour and, therefore, as a challenge to the fee-as-quality assumption common to the developed-market framework. Third, although digital transformation demonstrates a direct positive correlation with aggressive tax avoidance—indicating that firms can use digital capabilities to enhance tax planning and not compliance in the pre-JoFotara regulatory environment—its moderating effect on Big Four affiliation is not statistically significant. It is important to note that the relationship between the intensity of audit fees and digital transformation is positively significant, which is in line with the economic dependence argument. The implications of the findings are important to the Jordan Securities Commission, the tax authorities as well as regulatory bodies who are looking to enhance corporate tax compliance in a dynamic digital regulatory environment, and raise important questions of the portability of audit quality assumptions across institutional settings.

Digitization is reshaping how banks operate, yet whether it improves corporate financial performance remains unsettled. This study examines how the digital transformation that banks disclose relates to the structure of their key financial performance indicators. Using a balanced panel of 73 listed Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) banks over 2020–2025 (438 bank–year observations), digital transformation is measured by a text-mined digital disclosure index (DDI, 0–100) constructed from annual reports and decomposed into nine themes. Bank fixed-effects regressions with Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, one-year-lagged specifications, and two-step system GMM are estimated across profitability, net interest margin, cost efficiency, credit risk and capital adequacy. Disclosed digitization more than doubled over the window, but its associations with performance are conditional rather than uniformly positive. Within banks, a higher DDI value is associated with wider net interest margins, yet also with lower profitability, higher cost-to-income ratios, modestly higher credit risk, and thinner capital buffers. This pattern is consistent with an investment or build-out phase in which the costs of digital transformation are visible before any efficiency or stability dividend and in which margins are the single offsetting benefit. The six-year window observes only this cost-bearing segment and not any later recovery, so the study documents the investment-phase drag rather than a completed cycle. The theme decomposition indicates that the margin association is closest to regulatory technology, cybersecurity, broad transformation and payments. Because the design is observational, the results are interpreted as within-bank associations rather than causal effects, and, although precisely estimated, these associations are economically modest. The study contributes a transparent theme-decomposed measure of bank digitization and evidence on its limits for corporate financial performance in an emerging-market banking region.

This study examines the impact of Business Intelligence (BI) on financial performance, with a specific focus on the mediating role of operational efficiency within Jordanian commercial banks. Utilizing a sample of 260 questionnaire responses collected from banking professionals, the study employs partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS4 to analyze the hypothesized relationships. The findings reveal that BI significantly enhances both financial performance and operational efficiency by optimizing financial processes and supporting more effective decision-making. Furthermore, operational efficiency exerts a strong positive influence on financial performance, indicating that improved internal processes directly contribute to better financial outcomes. Mediation analysis confirms that operational efficiency serves as a critical intermediary in the BI and financial performance relationship, suggesting that banks realize the greatest financial value from BI through its ability to streamline operations. The study provides robust empirical evidence highlighting the strategic importance of BI implementation in the banking sector. Based on these insights, it is recommended that banks invest in advanced BI technologies, emphasizing process automation, resource optimization, and cost-reduction strategies to fully leverage the benefits of BI in enhancing operational and financial performance.

This study investigates the relationship between intellectual capital and corporate performance, with a particular focus on the moderating role of financial technology (FinTech) in Jordanian industrial firms listed on the Amman Stock Exchange. It aims to clarify how different components of intellectual capital contribute to financial performance and how FinTech adoption enhances this relationship. The study employs a quantitative approach using panel data regression analysis based on a sample of 55 industrial companies over the period 2015–2020. Intellectual capital is measured through Human Capital Efficiency, Structural Capital Efficiency, and Capital Employed Efficiency, while corporate performance is proxied by Return on Assets. The findings reveal that Human Capital Efficiency is the most influential determinant of financial performance, highlighting the importance of investing in employee capabilities and knowledge development. Capital Employed Efficiency also shows a strong and significant positive effect on profitability, indicating the critical role of efficient resource utilization. Structural Capital Efficiency demonstrates a positive but comparatively weaker impact. Furthermore, the results confirm that FinTech adoption positively moderates the relationship between intellectual capital and firm performance, strengthening the effects of both Human Capital Efficiency and Capital Employed Efficiency. These findings suggest that firms can enhance their financial outcomes by integrating digital financial technologies with effective intellectual capital management, providing practical insights for managers and policymakers aiming to improve competitiveness and performance in the industrial sector.

Foreign direct investment (FDI), renewable energy, and energy intensity are the environmental performance of emerging economies. Utilizing the CS-ARDL method and a panel dataset spanning 2000–2023, the study investigates the evolving drivers of CO₂ emissions across BRIC countries. Empirical evidence illustrates that FDI exacerbates emissions in the short run, reflecting its allocation to the pollution-intensive sector. However, in the long run, the diffusion of cleaner and developed production technology, FDI exerts a positive environmental effect. Conversely, although renewable energy consumption primarily increases environmental quality, its associated life-cycle emissions and energy inefficiencies contribute to higher emissions over time. Initially, energy intensity has a positive impact on CO₂ emissions in the short run and a negative impact in the long run, highlighting the importance of more energy efficiency reforms. This research emphasizes the need for policy precision that reflects the characteristics of FDI, the lifecycle impact of renewable energy policies, and reinforced energy efficiency improvements that will support emerging countries in achieving a low-carbon economy.

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of public health restrictions during the pandemic on the equity market in Kuwait by employing daily data collected over the period from January 23, 2020, to December 31, 2021. The study used the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to evidence cointegration between the Kuwaiti equity market and public health restrictions (NPIs). The findings indicate that the long-term adverse impact of public health restrictions such as school closures, stay-at-home orders, and travel bans has resulted in worsening market performance. Conversely, the equity market reacts positively to restrictions on gatherings. The study also found a positive association between the S&P 500 and the Kuwaiti equity market, implying that the S&P 500 positively impacts the Kuwaiti market. This research contributes to understanding market behaviors and offers strategic insights for risk mitigation and market resilience during future crises. Future research could incorporate sentiment measures, nonlinear ARDL methods, or comparative studies across GCC financial markets to deepen understanding of policy–market interactions during systemic shocks. Expanding on this study enhances understanding of the impact of public health restrictions on emerging country financial markets under pandemic conditions, providing valuable insights for policymakers and investors in future crises.