A bibliometric review of sustainable finance: setting the research agenda

The emerging environmental, social and economic pressures highlighted the need for long-term approaches to bring sustainable development. Sustainable finance emerged as a novel approaches that actively contribute to sustainable development. However, it is often considered as an umbrella term that encompasses different financial practices, tools, and instruments. All the progress and success in the field of sustainable finance to date otwithstanding, it is thus essential to develop a standardized conceptual framework to clarify the ambiguity among the core construct. Based on this consideration, this study applies a bibliometric approach to provide a robust roadmap that delineates the sustainable finance conceptual landscape. The concrete outcomes of this research elucidate the origin and evolution of the sustainable finance concept and provide a contemporary review of the related tools, approaches, and instruments. Simultaneously, this study also depicts the precise boundaries among the core elements of sustainable finance. The main contribution of this study is thus to provide researchers, organizations, and the society a better understanding of all the aspects of sustainable finance that are useful for sustainable development in the financial world. Further, this research uncovers the underexplored areas within the sustainable finance paradigm to which researchers and organizations should channel their attention.