Dr. Hayet Soltani | Finance | Best Researcher Award

University of Sfax, Tunisia

Dr. Hayet Soltani, a Tunisian scholar, is an accomplished researcher in finance, business engineering, and digitalization of companies, with expertise spanning financial stress, investor sentiment, stock market dynamics, clean energy, and sustainable investments. She earned her Ph.D. in Finance (2020), Master’s in Finance (2016), and Bachelor’s in Finance (2013) from the Faculty of Economics and Management of Sfax, Tunisia, later enhancing her qualifications with a Ma   ter’s in Business Engineering and Digitalization of Companies (2023). She also undertook international research training, including a doctoral internship at Sorbonne Nouvelle University, Paris III (2019), and specialized courses in bibliometric analysis, Zotero, and soft skills certification. Professionally, Dr. Soltani has held multiple lecturer positions at leading Tunisian institutions, including the Higher Institute of Management of Gabes (2021–2024), the Higher Institute of Business Administration of Sfax (2025), and others, where she has contributed significantly to finance and management education. Her research interests include financial market integration, digital banking strategies, ESG investment forecasting, and the spillover effects between financial, cryptocurrency, and commodity markets, particularly during crises. She has authored 9 peer-reviewed Scopus-indexed publications with 61 citations and an h-index of 5, with works published in high-impact journals such as Quality & Quantity, Asia-Pacific Financial Markets, EuroMed Journal of Business, and the Journal of the Knowledge Economy, alongside several works under review. Her research skills include econometric modeling, bibliometric analysis, machine learning applications in finance, and advanced statistical software proficiency (EVIEWS, STATA, RATS, Bibliometrix, Zotero). She has actively participated in international conferences, presenting research on finance, AI, sustainability, and ethical investment. Recognized for her academic contributions, she has earned visibility in the International Research Awards on Science, Health, and Engineering, reflecting her rising impact in the global research community. In conclusion, Dr. Soltani’s strong academic foundation, professional teaching experience, international collaborations, and growing publication record highlight her as an emerging leader in financial economics and digitalization research, with promising potential to shape innovative frameworks that bridge finance, technology, and sustainability on a global scale.

Profile: Scopus | ORCID | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

1. Soltani, H., Taleb, J., & Boujelbène Abbes, M. (2025). The directional spillover effects and time-frequency nexus between stock markets, cryptocurrency, and investor sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 34(1), 23–46.

2. Soltani, H., Aloulou, A., & Boujelbène Abbes, M. (2017). The impact of political instability on investor sentiment and market performance: Evidence from Tunisian Revolution. IUP Journal of Applied Finance, 23(4), 7–23.

3. Soltani, H., & Boujelbène Abbes, M. (2023). The predictive power of financial stress on the financial markets dynamics: Hidden Markov model. Journal of Economics and Finance, 47(1), 94–115.

4. Soltani, H., & Boujelbène Abbes, M. (2023). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nexus between the investor’s sentiment and the financial market dynamics: Evidence from the Chinese market. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 15(5), 673–694.

5. Soltani, H., & Boujelbène Abbes, M. (2025). Regime-specific spillover effects between financial stress, GCC stock markets, Brent crude oil, and the gold market. Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 16(2), 8840–8866.