Exploring Trends in E-Business and Sustainable Finance: An Integrated Analytical Approach

Vasim Ahmad ¹ Madhu Arora ² Anu Sayal ^3* Rakesh Kumar ⁴

• ¹ Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India
• ² Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India
• ³ School of Accounting and Finance, Taylor's Business School, Taylor's University, Malaysia, Malaysia
• ⁴ Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun, India

The primary aim of this study is to examine the evolving trends and patterns in E-Business and Sustainable Finance over a two-decade period. Utilizing bibliometric analysis-a rigorous method for analysing large volumes of research data and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize sustainability factors, this study meticulously employs an integrated analytical approach in the domain of e-business and sustainable finance. The analysis identifies publication patterns, citation networks, key themes, and major contributors, including authors, journals, and countries, within the realms of E-Business and Sustainable Finance over the past two decades. Although numerous studies have been conducted on E-Business, remarkably few are those that have integrated E-Business with Sustainable Finance. This deficiency shows the need to understand the direction of research trends in these aspects and the importance of different sustainability factors. It becomes clear from the data that the USA, UK, and China are leading in participation, publication, and authorship contribution globally. The study gives evidence that from the year 2010, there is an increase in the development of research in the field of sustainability in electronic business models; most of them, therefore, call for the consideration of issues on sustainability within digital business strategies. The AHP analysis done gives evidence that the most important is social sustainability, followed by technological sustainability, while governance sustainability had the lowest priority. The study identifies the need for more empirical research using methodologies such as structural equation modeling and other multi-criteria decision-making techniques to make the e-business models more sustainable, despite the increase in the growth of research. In fact, this may be of great value to professionals, policymakers, and students at large, giving them a full sense of the role of sustainability in the digital economy. It sets the base for the creation and development of new business models, as well as new financial strategies with a focus on sustainability from both a social and environmental point of view. From this perspective, the research contributes to knowledge in the fields of E-Business and Sustainable Finance.