Skip to main content
Arman Eshraghi

Professor Arman Eshraghi

Professor of Finance and Investment, Deputy Head of Section for Research, Impact and Innovation

Cardiff Business School

Email
EshraghiA@cardiff.ac.uk
Telephone
+44 29225 10880
Campuses
Aberconway Building, Room E42, Colum Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3EU
Users
Available for postgraduate supervision

Overview

Summary (100 words)

Arman Eshraghi is a professor of finance with 15 years of experience in academic research, education and leadership following a professional background in financial services. He leads two interdisciplinary research groups on financial technology and behavioral finance, serves as managing/associate editor in several peer-reviewed journals, and acts as consultant to financial firms. His research spans across investments, behavioral finance, corporate finance and financial technology, among other interests. Arman’s work is published in some leading journals of the field and regularly cited in the media. He has delivered award-winning teaching to student and executive cohorts in the UK, Europe and Asia.

Background

Prof. Arman Eshraghi holds the Chair of Finance and Investment at Cardiff Business School. He is a founding director of the Cardiff Fintech Research Group, Fintech Theme Lead at the Digital Transformation Innovation Institute, and a member of the Centre for Innovation Policy Research. Beyond Cardiff, he is a Shimomura Fellow of the Development Bank of Japan, Erskine Fellow of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, Visiting Fellow of the Centre for Study of Decision-Making Uncertainty at University College London, Vice-chair of the British Accounting and Finance Association Professorial Committee, and co-director of the Behavioural Finance Working Group.

Formerly, Prof. Eshraghi was at the University of Edinburgh Business School with visiting positions at the University of Manchester and UCL, plus some years of industry experience in financial services prior to academia. He holds PhD in Finance from the University of Edinburgh, and MBA in Finance and BSc in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University in Tehran. His doctoral and post-doctoral research received recognition in the EFMD Global, Emerald Literati, Scottish Financial Enterprise, and European Financial Group awards.

Research and Impact

Arman's academic research spans finance and accounting with broad interests including investments, behavioural/corporate finance, financial technology and interdisciplinary accounting. A core theme of his research examines the financial decisions of retail investors, fund managers, analysts and corporate executives, as well as any associated inefficiencies in financial markets. His work is cited in the Financial Times, Washington Post, Forbes, Bloomberg, BBC, Euronews, and has contributed to handbooks published by Cambridge University Press, Wiley, Springer, Routledge and Emerald.

His research is published across various journals in finance (including Review of Financial Studies; Review of Finance; Journal of Empirical Finance; European Financial Management; Financial Review; Corporate Governance: An International Review, etc.), in accounting (including Accounting, Organizations and Society; Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal; Accounting and Business Research), and in management (including British Journal of Management; Harvard Business Review).

Prof. Eshraghi actively contributes to editing finance journals as Editor-in-Chief of International Review of Economics and Finance, Senior Associate Editor of Finance Research Letters and Global Finance Journal, Associate Editor of Economic Modelling and Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, and Guest Editor of the European Journal of Finance.

Beyond academia, Prof. Eshraghi engages with organisations in the finance sector to offer bespoke research and training. He has given invited talks at the Federal Reserve Bank (New York), Centre for European Economic Research (Mannheim), National Institute of Securities Markets (Mumbai), and UK organisations such as the Office for National Statistics, Alan Turing Institute, CFA Society UK and CityUK. He is a former Advisory Panel member of Fintech Wales, and has advised several UK firms (including SMEs and a FTSE 100 firm) in areas related to financial markets and fintech. 

Teaching and Education

Arman is highly passionate about teaching and education. Beyond Cardiff, he has taught diverse cohorts in the UK (Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Warwick), Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Portugal) and Asia (China, India, Vietnam, Thailand). He is an external examiner of MSc Banking and International Finance at Bayes (formerly, Cass) Business School at City, University of London.

Typically, Arman's teaching includes MSc, MBA, PhD and executive courses in investment management, behavioural finance, corporate finance and fintech (the full list is available on the teaching tab). He is passionate about teaching innovations, and his courses have won awards voted by students for Inspirational Teaching and Best Teaching Innovation

Media Coverage

  • "A guide to saving for your child's financial future", Euronews, 2024
  • “Reflections on the UK Global Investment Summit”, LBC News (live), 2023
  • “IMF outlook on the UK economy”, Capital/Heart Radio (recorded), 2023
  • “Reactions to the mini-budget”, Capital/Heart Radio (recorded), 2022
  • “Bank of England response to the mini-budget”, LBC News (live), 2022
  • “Financial impact of Russian sanctions”, Asharq News Bloomberg (live), 2022
  • “The new IMF global economic outlook”, Asharq News Bloomberg (live), 2022
  • “What banking will look like in 10 years”, The Next Web, 2021
  • “Junior bankers and long working hours”, GB News (live), 2021
  • "Tech unlocks the door to corporate fundraising for retail investors", Financial Times, 2020
  • "Neurofinance and why some people make money more easily than others", BBC World, 2020
  • "How to be more disciplined about retirement saving", YouTube, 2019
  • "New study links a CEO's cultural heritage with corporate performance", Forbes, 2018
  • "A CEO's decision making is shaped by immigration", Harvard Business Review, 2018
  • "Dealing with big egos in the office", Ignites Europe (Financial Times), 2018
  • "Bank performance and the cultural DNA", Harvard Law School Corporate Governance, 2018
  • "High active share may lead to poorer returns", Ignites Europe (Financial Times), 2018
  • "Cultural heritage affects bank performance under competition", Vox CEPR, 2017
  • "When bank boards get too cozy, expect misconduct", Vox CEPR, 2016
  • "Alan Greenspan's tone of voice moved gold prices", Financial Times, 2013
  • "It's not what Fed chairmen say, it's the way they say it", Washington Post, 2013
  • "How Alan Greenspan's 'tone' moved gold and silver", Globe and Mail, 2013
  • "No 1997 Asian Crisis returns as China trembles", Bloomberg, 2013
  • "Beware the dangers of overinflated egos", Financial Times (FTfm), 2012

Public Speaking and Moderation

Consultancy and Panel Contribution

  • ESG Corporate Awards, member of judging panel, esginvesting.co.uk, 2022-23
  • Interswitch Group, pan-African fintech and digital commerce company, 2022
  • Fintech Wales, member of (founding) Advisory Panel, Cardiff, 2019-22
  • Fintech Wales, member of Skills Working Group, Cardiff, 2019-22
  • Research Council of Norway, member of Grant Referee Panel, Oslo, 2019
  • Fintech Scotland, University of Edinburgh delegate, Edinburgh, 2017-18
  • CFA Institute, member of Finance Talent Roundtable, Edinburgh, 2017-18
  • Advanced Logic Analytics, advisor on financial sentiment analytics, London, 2017
  • Scottish Financial Enterprise, member of Financial Services Strategy Project, Edinburgh, 2016
  • Research Council of Portugal, member of Grant Referee Panel, Lisbon, 2015

Publication

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2012

Articles

Book sections

Research

Research Interests

  • Behavioral finance
  • Corporate finance
  • Financial technology
  • Investment management
  • Market-based accounting
  • Interdisciplinary accounting

Research Conferences co-organised

3rd Cardiff Financial Technology Conference
Cardiff, 2024, Keynote: Gilles Chemla, Imperial College London
 
17th Behavioral Finance Working Group Conference 
London, 2024, Keynote: Marcin Kacperczyk, Imperial College London
 
32nd European Financial Management Association Annual Meeting 
Cardiff, 2023, Keynote: Lauren Cohen, Harvard Business School
 
16th Behavioral Finance Working Group Conference 
London, 2023, Keynote: Dong Lou, London School of Economics
 
2nd Cardiff Financial Technology Conference
Cardiff, 2023, Keynote: Wei Xiong, Princeton University
 
15th Behavioral Finance Working Group Conference 
London, 2022, Keynote: Lauren Cohen, Harvard Business School
 
Inaugural Cardiff Financial Technology Conference
Cardiff, 2022, Keynote: Lin William Cong, Cornell University
 
2nd International Corporate Governance Conference
Cardiff, 2021, Keynote: Konstantinos Stathopoulos, University of Manchester
 
ESRC Workshop on Unlocking the Potential of Blockchain
Cardiff, 2019, Keynote: Felix Irresberger, Durham University
 
Social Finance and Financial Technology Conference
Edinburgh, 2017, Keynote: John Beshears, Harvard Business School
 
Media and Financial Markets Conference
Edinburgh, 2014, Keynote: John Kay, Oxford University
 
2023 International Fintech Conference at Cardiff Business School
 
2023 EFMA Annual Meeting at Cardiff Business School
 

Recent Research Seminars (invited)

2023: Fudan University, Queen Mary University, University of Birmingham, University of Bath, Victoria University of Wellington, Massey University, University of Canterbury, Education University of Hong Kong, Curtin University

2022: University of Exeter, University of Birmingham, University of Reading, Aston University, Leeds University; University of Edinburgh

2019: University of St Andrews, University College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, Open University, University of Porto

2018: Waseda University, Hitotsubashi University, City University of London, Swansea University, University of Aarhus, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management

2017: Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, San Diego State University, Newcastle University, Glasgow University, Bangor University, University of Aarhus, University of Leipzig

Journal Reviews (invited)

  • Review of Financial Studies
  • Journal of Corporate Finance
  • Journal of Banking and Finance
  • European Financial Management
  • Journal of Business Ethics
  • Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
  • ...

Teaching

My current and past teaching includes the courses below covering diverse class sizes and student backgrounds:

  • Financial Technology and Behaviour (MSc)
  • Finance and Investment (MSc/MBA)
  • Corporate Finance (MBA)
  • Behavioural Finance (MSc)
  • Equity Valuation (MSc)
  • Investment Management (MSc)
  • Digital Transformation, Organizations and Society (MBA)
  • Advanced Topics in Finance and Accounting (PhD)

My teaching philosophy seeks student-focused learning and initiating conceptual changes. I am passionate about teaching innovations and, some years ago, led a research project on transforming finance education using investment/trading simulation platforms. I have obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice awarded by the University of Edinburgh and am a Fellow of AdvanceHE (formerly, Higher Education Academy). My teaching has won awards voted by students for Inspirational Teaching, Best Teaching Innovation, and Best Postgraduate Course among other nominations.

Financial Technology and Behaviour - 2023

I have delivered postgraduate and executive programmes in the UK (Cardiff, Edinburgh, Warwick, Manchester, London), Europe (Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal) and Asia (China, India, Vietnam, Thailand). I have also some experience teaching personal finance for Wallich, a Welsh homelessness charity.

Executive education and industry engagement are among my key interests. Some years ago, I designed a two-day executive masterclass on 'Advances in Behavioural Finance' which has since been delivered to several British, American, Indian and Chinese firms. 

Other bespoke training delivered in the UK and internationally includes:

  • Help to Grow Management                                   BEIS Department, UK government
  • Excellence in the Finance Function                      National Health Service (NHS) Wales, UK
  • Finance for Non-financial Managers                     BECT Building Contractors, UK
  • Textual Analysis in Finance                                   Walter Scott & Partners, UK
  • Advances in Financial Technology                        Cohort of finance managers, UK
  • Finance, Behaviour and Sustainability                 Cohort of sustainability managers, UK
  • Applications of Behavioural Finance                     Aetna CVS Health, US
  • Finance for Media Companies                              Scottish Television (STV), UK
  • Advances in Behavioural Finance                         Scottish Widows plc, UK
  • Advances in Behavioural Finance                         Huarong Asset Management, China
  • Applied Corporate Finance                                    Guangzhou CPA Association, China

Biography

Educational Background

  • PhD in Finance, University of Edinburgh, 2007-12
        Thesis: Professional Investor Psychology and Investment Performance
        Advisory committee: Richard Taffler, Seth Armitage, David Tuckett
  • MBA, Sharif University of Technology, 2003-05
        Concentration in finance; Thesis: Herding Behavior in Equity Markets
  • BSc in Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, 1999-2003
        Concentration in telecommunications; Thesis: Essays on Visual Cryptography

Honours and awards

Research and Research Leadership

Nominated, Celebrating Excellence Awards, Cardiff University, 2023
Selected, Cardiff Professorial Leadership Programme, 2022
Shortlisted (three times), Fintech Awards Wales, 2021-23
Scottish Crucible Fellowship, 2018
Shimomura Fellowship, Development Bank of Japan, 2018
Sustained Excellence Award, University of Edinburgh, 2017
Finalist, Scottish Financial Enterprise Rising Star Award sponsored by EY, 2017
Best Paper Award Finalist, Financial Management Association European Conference, Venice, 2015
Best Paper Award, International Review of Financial Analysis Conference on Gold, 2015
Best Paper Award (twice), Behavioural Finance Working Group Conference, London, 2014-15
Highly Commended PhD Research, European Foundation for Management Development, 2014
Young Scholar Award for Research in Financial Discourse, European Financial Group, 2014
Highly Commended, Emerald Literati Award for Research Excellence, 2013

Teaching and Education

Nominated, Celebrating Excellence Awards, Cardiff University, 2023
Best Teaching Innovation Award, University of Edinburgh Business School, 2018
Selected in the University of Edinburgh Teaching Excellence Poster Campaign, 2017-18
Best Course Award, University of Edinburgh Business School, 2016
Inspirational Teaching Award, University of Edinburgh Business School, 2015
Nominated 14 times, University of Edinburgh Annual Teaching Awards, 2012-18
Best Postgraduate Tutor, Manchester Business School, 2010

Prior to academia

PhD Scholarship at the University of Edinburgh Business School, 2007-11
Third rank in the MBA graduating class of Iran's most selective business school, 2005
First rank in the National Admissions Test for postgraduate business programmes, 2003
Admitted to Iran's most selective (top 0.02%) engineering programme, 1999

Professional memberships

American Finance Association
European Finance Association
Financial Management Association
British Accounting and Finance Association

Academic positions

Chair of Finance and Investment, Cardiff University, 2018-present
Associate Professor of Finance, University of Edinburgh, 2016-18 
Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Edinburgh, 2013-16 
Postdoctoral Fellow in Finance, University of Edinburgh, 2012-13 

Committees and reviewing

Editor-in-Chief, International Review of Economics and Finance
Senior Editor, Finance Research Letters
Senior Editor, Global Finance Journal
Guest Editor, European Journal of Finance (SI: Fintech and Financial Markets)                                                                  Guest Editor, European Journal of Finance (SI: Fintech and Risk)
Associate Editor, Economic Modelling                        
Associate Editor, Journal of Sustainable Finance and Investment                     

Supervisions

I am interested in advising PhD projects in the following broad areas:

  • Behavioral finance
  • Corporate finance
  • Financial technology
  • Investment management
  • Market-based accounting
  • Interdisciplinary accounting

Note to prospective doctoral applicants:

  • Please include in your introductory email a CV, detailed research proposal and references.
  • Review this information about our PhD programme.
  • You can see the research interests of our department faculty here.

Current PhD students

Weijian Liang, 2020-
Topic: Real Estate Investment Trusts

Doreen Dai, 2020-
Topic: Social Effects and Financial Technology

Simon Brightman, 2021-
Topic: Adoption and Impact of Advanced Analytical Technologies

Qiaoyu Sun, 2021- 
Topic: Threats and Financial Markets

Xiang Li, 2022- 
Topic: CEO Lifestyle and Corporate Performance

Martina Macpherson, 2022- 
Topic: Investor Engagement and Human Rights

Past projects

Duc Duy Nguyen, University of Edinburgh, 2012-15
Topic: Corporate Governance in Banking
Current position: Full Professor of Finance, Durham University

Marcel Lukas, University of Edinburgh, 2015-19
Topic: Social Effects, Technology and Financial Decision Making
Current position: Associate Professor of Finance, University of St Andrews

Alistair Haig, University of Edinburgh, 2015-19
Topic: Market for Investment Research
Current position: Quantitative Analyst, Franklin Templeton

Xiao Han, University of Edinburgh, 2017-21
Topic: Sentiment and Market Anomalies
Current position: Assistant Professor of Finance, Bayes Business School

Arbab Cheema, Cardiff University, 2018-22
Topic: Financial Market Anomalies
Current position: Assistant Professor of Finance, University of Northampton

Pengfei Gao, Cardiff University, 2019-23
Topic: Market Reaction to Financial Disclosures
Current position: Job market candidate

Previous PhD Examinations

University of Leeds, 2023
Thesis: Essays on CEO Overconfidence

University of Bath, 2023
Thesis: Essays on Behavioural Finance and Game Theory

Ca’Foscari University of Venice, 2022
Thesis: Essays on Corporate Takeover

University of Glasgow, 2019
Thesis: Determinants of M&A Acquirer Performance

King’s College London, 2018
Thesis: Heterogeneity and Skill in the Forex Market

Trinity College Dublin, 2017
Thesis: Precious Metals and Financial Markets