Some additional details on the Special Issues for the 2023 WPI  conference. Please note in all cases papers for the SI must have been presented at the conference. To accommodate the range of studies presented at the conference, authors may submit to any of five journals (Finance Research Letters, International Review of Financial Analysis, One Earth, iScience and Heliyon) associated with the conference. Submissions will then be organized into a virtual special issue and presented as a cohesive and complementary body of work highlighting the advances presented at the conference (though conference presenters are not required to submit to those journals and participate in the special issue). Authors are encouraged to select the journal that best fits the scope, structure and target audience of their work, and editors are available to provide additional guidance as to which journal may be the best fit via pre-submission inquiries. More information on each journal is presented below.

 

Finance Research Letters/ International Review of Financial Analysis  - Fintech for inclusivity, growth, and the future; Guest Editor Kwamie Dunbar

We invite papers for these journals as per the call below. Papers that are <2500 words in length should be directed to FRL, those over to IRFA 

 

Fintech, ESG risks, blockchain technology, and sustainable investing for inclusivity and growth are all closely interconnected and play a crucial role in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future for both the domestic and global economies. These innovations have the potential to drive greater inclusivity, promote sustainable growth, and mitigate ESG risks, thereby transforming the way businesses and finance operate.

Fintech has revolutionized the traditional financial sector, making financial services more accessible and affordable to a wider range of customers. This development has particularly benefited people traditionally excluded from the financial sector, such as those living in developing countries or those with limited access to traditional financial services. With fintech startups providing digital financial services like mobile money transfers and microfinance, it has become easier for people to access financial services, participate in the financial sector, and grow their wealth.

ESG risks are environmental, social, and governance risks associated with investments. These risks are becoming increasingly important for investors and financial institutions as they seek to promote sustainable growth and mitigate risk. The integration of ESG risks into investment decision-making has the potential to drive greater inclusivity and promote sustainable growth in the financial sector. For example, by considering ESG risks when making investment decisions, investors and financial institutions can help mitigate environmental damage, promote human rights, and reduce poverty—creating a more sustainable financial sector. Additionally, ESG has the potential to drive greater inclusivity and promote sustainable growth by supporting companies and initiatives that prioritize environmentally friendly and socially-responsible practices.

Blockchain technology can also support and promote greater inclusivity and sustainable growth in the financial sector. Blockchain allows for secure, decentralized transactions, data reliability for supply chains, sustainability, and record-keeping. These blockchain characteristic can help reduce fraud and improve transparency in financial transactions. It can greatly benefit supply chain finance efficiency. These innovations can promote trust and confidence in financial systems, making it easier for people to access financial services and participate in the financial sector. Sustainability practices within and across organizations, as well as various stakeholders, can be incentivized through blockchain tokenization. This tokenization can support initiatives that are necessary for developing and vulnerable regions of the world. There are also concerns related to identity and privacy concerns that should be carefully considered.

This special issue of Finance Research Letters is seeking papers that address the issue of Fintech for inclusivity, growth, and the future. Fintech, broadly defined to cover ESG risks, blockchain technology, sustainable investing are all closely interconnected and play a crucial role in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future for the financial sector in particular and business in general. Fintech innovations have the potential to drive greater inclusivity, promote sustainable growth, and mitigate ESG risks, thereby transforming the way businesses and finance operate. By prioritizing environmental, social, and governance considerations, the financial sector can create a more inclusive and sustainable future for all. There are also challenges and concerns that need to be addressed. Successful manuscripts will be fully developed papers that demonstrate a significant contribution to the literature, an innovative and sound methodological approach, with robust findings and policy implications. We invite submissions of papers or extended abstracts that are not currently under consideration for publication in any academic or practitioner journal. Your paper should be submitted electronically no later than by June  30 2023  with decisions by mid-July.

At this point a tentative but not exhaustive set of topics could include the following  

  • Financial and Economic Uncertainty
  • The impact of Artificial Intelligence applications in the financial industry
  • Machine learning applications in financial and economic analysis
  • Climate, green and carbon finance modelling challenges
  • Green Finance and ESG considerations
  • Central Bank Digital Currency and the underbanked/unbanked
  • Central Bank Digital Currency and Green/Climate/Sustainable Finance
  • Financial Stability and Green/Climate/Sustainable Finance
  • Blockchain and FinTech
  • Blockchain’s role in data reliability for supply chains and sustainability
  • Blockchain and its networking impact on supply chain and sustainability
  • Blockchain and Fintech for Supply Chain Finance
  • Risk Management and Green/Sustainable/Climate finance challenges.
  • International Financial Regulation and Green/Sustainable/Climate finance challenges.
  • Spillovers and interlinkages among green/climate/sustainable financial instruments and other assets
  • Green/Sustainable/Climate assets and portfolio allocation
  • Applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence in financial decision making
  • Fintech and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Fintech and financial inclusivity
  • Ethics and Fintech

 

 

Cell Press Journals

One Earth – Internal Editors: Lewis Collins, Shanshan Zhang, Abby Kelly, Catherine Tait pre-submission enquiries

One Earth is Cell Press’ flagship sustainability journal. The objective of One Earth is to provide a home for high-quality research and perspectives that seek to better understand and address today’s sustainability challenges. We publish monthly thematic issues that aspire to break down barriers between disciplines, stimulate the cross-pollination of ideas, and encourage transformative research. In the context of this conference, One Earth welcomes the submission of any research article, review, or perspective that provides a significant contribution to our understanding of financial markets that promote and maintain social and environmental sustainability.

 

 

iScience – Internal Editors Michelle Muzzio, Stefano Tonzani, Ryan Perry  pre-submission inquiries

The goal of iScience is to help fuel interdisciplinary thinking. iScience is an open access journal from Cell Press that provides a platform for original research in the life, physical, earth, and health sciences, as well as considers transdisciplinary research related to areas of climate and sustainability. Related to the conference themes, iScience would especially welcome research articles, reviews, or perspectives in the following areas:

  • Interface of climate, trade, and financial uncertainty
  • Impacts of climate risk and climate transition plans on financial stability
  • Relationship between carbon emissions and financial markets
  • Policy connections between finance and climate transition plans
  • Applications of machine learning and artificial intelligence in financial decision making
  • Sustainability governance and impact on finance

For related collections of published iScience content: Energy Policy and Economics, Geoscience and Sustainability

 

 

Heliyon – Editor Larisa Yarovaya, University of Southampton  Information for authors

Heliyon is an all-science, open access journal that is part of the Cell Press family. Any paper reporting scientifically accurate and valuable research, which adheres to accepted ethical and scientific publishing standards, will be considered for publication. At Heliyon we consider the full range of research studies: full research studies, preliminary findings, replication studies, negative results, case studies, niche papers and incremental advances as valuable contributions to the scholarly literature.

Topics adjacent to the conference theme that are welcome in at Heliyon: Finance, Accounting, Banking, Islamic Finance, Financial Economics, International Economics, Financial Markets, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Fintech, Integration, Interconnectedness, Financial Crisis, Commodities, Co-movements, Contagion Cryptocurrency, Financial Market Integration, Impact of announcements, Interconnectedness, Islamic Financial markets, Media Sentiments, Portfolio Diversification, Precious Metals, Return and Volatility spillovers. For related collections of published Heliyon content: Business and Economics”