Trends and Emerging Research Directions in Economic and Financial Analysis and Business Innovation: a Bibliometric Approach

Abstract

This study analyzes the evolution and conceptual structure of the scientific literature on economic and financial analysis and business innovation in the context of accelerated digital transformation, the development of artificial intelligence, and the expansion of intelligent financial ecosystems. The main objective of the study is to identify dominant trends, emerging research directions, and the conceptual relationships that structure the contemporary international literature in the economic, financial, and managerial fields. The research is based on bibliometric analysis and science mapping techniques, which are considered relevant methods for investigating interdisciplinary domains undergoing rapid development. The data collection process was conducted through the Web of Science database using a complex search query based on concepts related to financial performance, business innovation, digital transformation, and bibliometric analysis. Following the filtering process, the final sample included 64 scientific articles published between 2020 and 2026. The analysis was conducted using VOSviewer and Biblioshiny, examining the evolution of scientific production, keyword co-occurrence networks, thematic maps, and the relationships among authors, references, and dominant concepts. The results highlight a significant increase in scientific interest in digital finance, FinTech, business analytics, ESG, and business model innovation. Moreover, the study confirms that economic and financial analysis is evolving from traditional models toward intelligent, predictive, and sustainable approaches based on artificial intelligence, Big Data, and digital transformation. Thematic maps and conceptual networks indicate the consolidation of sustainability and digital transformation as central directions of contemporary research, as well as the emergence of new research areas related to intelligent financial ecosystems and organizational sustainable development. UDC: [005.332.1:005.915+005.52+005.591.6]:001.811; JEL: M41, O31, O33, C88