Amman, Feb 17 (Petra) – The Al Hussein Fund for Excellence (HFE) announced the names of the winners of the fourth cycle of its Economic Research Awards during a ceremony held on Tuesday, attended by several banking, economic, and media figures.

Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) Khaldoun Al-Wshah, representing the governor, said the award, since its launch in 2016, has aimed to direct research efforts toward applied economic issues that touch on the priorities of economic decision-makers, contribute to diagnosing economic challenges in depth and objectively, and provide practical, implementable solutions.

He added that with successive cycles, the award has no longer been merely a scientific event, but has become a leading scientific platform attracting researchers and those interested in economic affairs, motivating them to delve deeper into their topics, adhere to sound scientific methodology, and continuously strive for the highest standards of quality in research and analysis. He said that today there is a greater need than ever for such scientific effort to enhance economic knowledge and support sound and sustainable decision-making.

Al-Wshah affirmed that the fourth cycle added several new priority economic fields, including financial technology, the green economy, and the labor market, alongside the award’s permanent fields, namely monetary policy and the financial and banking sector.

He indicated that the award’s results reflected the distinguished scientific level of Jordan’s educational institutions and the competencies they have produced, capable of preparing solid and outstanding research that supports economic decision-making and enriches a deep understanding of the national reality and its challenges.

The deputy governor announced the launch of the fifth cycle of the Al Hussein Fund For Economic Research Award for 2026, to include monetary policy, the banking sector and financial technology, labor economics and productivity fields, in addition to growth drivers within the Economic Modernization Vision, which represents a national framework for economic reform and contributes to enhancing the sustainability of economic growth and raising the competitiveness of the national economy.

He said that through these fields, the award aspires to remain a leading national platform contributing to the development of economic knowledge and the preparation of a generation of distinguished researchers capable of providing practical, evidence-based solutions to confront current and future economic challenges with confidence and efficiency.

He expressed his thanks to the Board of Directors of the Al Hussein Fund for Excellence for their sincere and dedicated efforts and their constant keenness to continue the award and elevate it to the highest levels of excellence, as well as their close follow-up of all its stages until the announcement of the final results. He also extended thanks to the award’s scientific committee, chaired by Nidal Azzam, Executive Director of the CBJ Research Department, and to the award’s administrative committee, chaired by Ali Yaghi, General Manager of the Al Hussein Fund for Excellence, for their precise and responsible professional work.

For his part, Yaghi said the Al Hussein Fund for Economic Research Award is among the prestigious awards at the national level, expressing his thanks to the members of the fund’s board for their support and patronage of these projects and for their continuous recommendations and valuable guidance so that the fund achieves the lofty objectives it has sought since its establishment.

He also thanked the participants "who presented outstanding works in this cycle," affirming that the research papers and theses submitted in the award’s five fields reflect valuable scientific efforts by researchers. He praised the integrity and impartiality of the award’s scientific committee members and the academic referees who participated in evaluating the works with full integrity and objectivity.

He pointed to the wide turnout for nomination in the fourth cycle, with 130 works submitted, distributed as 12 works in monetary policy, 42 in the financial and banking sector, 25 in the green economy, 22 in labor economics and 29 in the digital economy and financial technology.

Yaghi said the award works were distributed across three categories, including 80 research papers, 32 master’s theses and 18 doctoral dissertations, attracting researchers from outside academia. Academic institutions accounted for 54 percent of the works, distributed as 42 percent from public universities, led by the University of Jordan and the Hashemite University, and 12 percent from private universities. Participation by employees of financial and banking institutions and private companies accounted for 25 percent of the works, while 16 percent were submitted by applicants from government institutions and 5 percent from outside the Kingdom.

He said the award’s scientific committee was formed of researchers and specialists from the CBJ Research Department, chaired by the department’s Executive Director Nidal Azzam, and that the judging panels included 46 professors and researchers from various economic and financial disciplines at Jordanian universities.

Regarding the award’s history, Yaghi said the fund launched it in 2016 in partnership with the CBJ to support and stimulate applied research in economic fields and financial and banking issues of interest to the Jordanian economy, taking into account developments in these fields, in addition to bridging the relationship between the Central Bank, financial institutions, universities and academic researchers.

The deputy governor honored the winners and also honored the CBJ Research Department.

In the field of monetary policy, the research "Understanding the Role of Markov Chain Models in Evaluating Monetary Policy Transmission Mechanisms in a Governance Context: A Governance Perspective" by Dr. Maher Al-Mahrouq of the Association of Banks in Jordan and Dr. Ahmad Al-Majali of Mutah University won jointly, alongside the research "Monetary Policy and Its Impact on the Jordanian Financial Sector: Dynamics of Financial Technology, the Digital Economy and the Green Economy" by Dr. Omar Arabiyat and Hashem Al-Shurufat of the Hashemite University.

In the same field, the doctoral dissertation titled "The Impact of Monetary and Fiscal Policies on the Balance of Payments: A Case Study of Jordan" by Dr. Ali Awartani of the University of Jordan, supervised by Dr. Taleb Warrad, also won.

In the financial and banking sector field, the research "Institutional Ownership and Commonality in Liquidity: The Case of the Amman Stock Exchange, Jordan" by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Saad and Dr. Ibrahim Khattab of the Hashemite University and Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Yousifi of the University of Hafr Al-Batin in Saudi Arabia won jointly, along with the research "Lines of Credit and Family Firm Ownership: A Case Study of a Developing Country" by Dr. Ghada Teim and Dr. Mohammad Tayeh of the University of Jordan.

In the master’s theses category, the award was granted jointly to the thesis "Artificial Intelligence and Its Impact on the Performance of Jordanian Commercial Banks Listed on the Amman Stock Exchange Using the Balanced Scorecard" by researcher Qusai Ali of Al-Balqa Applied University, supervised by Dr. Enas Al-Aboud, and the thesis "The Impact of Using Artificial Intelligence Technologies on Improving Financial Performance: A Field Study in Commercial Banks" by researcher Dania Al-Hmoud of Al-Balqa Applied University, supervised by Dr. Khaled Al-Naif.

The doctoral thesis award was also granted jointly to the dissertation "The Impact of Financial Risks on the Value of Commercial Banks Listed on the Amman Stock Exchange: The Moderating Role of the Quality of Disclosure of Accounting Hedging" by Dr. Faten Al-Nuaimi of the World Islamic Sciences and Education University, supervised by Dr. Enam Al-Zwyalif, and the dissertation "The Impact of Operating a Private Credit Information Company on the Performance of Banks in Jordan and Their Financial Indicators" by Dr. Ahmad Al-Amoudi of Westcliff University, supervised by Dr. Murad Abu Addous.

In the green economy field, the award was granted to the research "The Role of Organizational Flexibility and Economic Innovation in Enhancing Circular Supply Chains: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence Capabilities" by Dr. Ayman Al-Khatib of Middle East University, Dr. Mohammad Al-Ghababsheh of Mutah University and researcher Mais Khattab of Luminus College.

In the master’s theses category in the same field, the award was granted jointly to the thesis "The Impact of the Digital Economy on Economic Growth and Green Development: An Econometric Analytical Study on Arab Countries" by researcher Mila Al-Alam of the University of Jordan, supervised by Dr. Nahil Saqf Al-Hait, and the thesis "The Green Economy in Jordan and Its Impact on Economic Growth" by researcher Anas Al-Bayaydeh of Mutah University, supervised by Dr. Ahmad Al-Majali.

In the doctoral theses category, the award was granted to the dissertation titled "Determinants of Household Sector Spending on Transport and Energy in Jordan – An Analytical Study" by Dr. Nour Al-Werr of the University of Jordan, supervised by Dr. Nahil Saqf Al-Hait.

In the labor economics field, the research "Predicting Employee Turnover Using Financial Indicators in the Pharmaceutical Industry" by Dr. Mohammad Awwad of Mutah University and researcher Haya Al-Hiyari won jointly, alongside the research "Estimating Labor Productivity and Total Factor Productivity in the Jordanian Agricultural Sector" by Dr. Ahmad Al-Majali of Mutah University.

In the same field, the dissertation titled "Enhancing Economic Growth Through Entrepreneurship: An Empirical Study – Evidence from Startups in Jordan" by Dr. Hashem Thweib of the University of Jordan, supervised by Dr. Taleb Warrad and Dr. Samer Dahiat, won.

In the digital economy and financial technology field, the research award was granted to the study titled "Exploring the Potential of Blockchain Technology to Enhance Economic Integrity and Combat Corruption: A Strategic Perspective for Jordan" by researcher Abdullah Al-Droubi. The master’s thesis award was granted jointly to the thesis "The Impact of Innovative Financial Technology Tools on Economic Growth in Jordan" by researcher Anas Al-Dalki of Irbid National University, supervised by Dr. Mohammad Maqabaleh, and the thesis "The Impact of Financial Technology on Banks’ Risk Tolerance" by researcher Saeda Abu Olaim of Al al-Bayt University, supervised by Dr. Ghaith Al-Eitan.

The dissertation titled "The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of the Reliability of Accounting Information Systems" by Dr. Enas Abu Farha of the World Islamic Sciences and Education University, supervised by Dr. Alaa Matarneh, was also granted the award.

The Al Hussein Fund for Excellence, established in 1999, represents one of the social responsibility arms of the Jordanian banking sector and constitutes a center for encouraging creativity and excellence and advancing sustainable development by contributing to the development and sponsorship of creativity in technological, cultural and economic fields in general.

It annually launches a number of awards, including the Economic Research Award, the Children's Culture Award, the "Entleq" Graduation Projects Award in Jordanian universities, and the Agriculture and Food Security Award, in addition to implementing the Al Hussein Fund’s Digital Labs Program in cooperation with King Abdullah II Schools for Excellence.

//Petra// AF

17/02/2026 22:47:11