The increasing interest in Fintech, Blockchain, and Digitalization in Islamic Finance created a new area in the literature, requiring a systematic review of these academic publications. The scope of the analysis is limited to journal articles to understand the trends in the indexed journals. Results are categorized into three sections, Islamic banks’ digitalization, Blockchain and Crypto Assets research, and Islamic non-bank financial institutions’ digitalization. Islamic fintech has great potential mainly because of the overlapping norms of Shariah and fintech, making it easier to implement technological disruption into Islamic finance. Moreover, the trust shift to Islamic finance could be merged with the opportunities of fintech and increase the potential of Islamic fintech even more.

In this paper, we attempt to explore the extent to which the hard won development gains over the last several years could be reversed due to the unfolding COVID-19 global pandemic, how we can reboot the global response to accelerate the SDGs in times of uncertainties, and most importantly how to turn the recovery into an opportunity to build back better and more resilient economies. To do so, we examine the case of blockchain as one of the emerging innovative work-streams in development practices that could lead the way forward and pave the path for new developmental narratives as we all navigate the uncharted territories of the new digital age. This paper provides useful insights about the underlying dynamics underpinning the adoption of blockchain backed-solutions for sustainable development, and it showcases some of the promising use-cases being developed through trial-and-error experiments by its early adopters. The paper offers a deep dive into a burgeoning development practice in search of disrupting business-as-usual to solve increasingly complex development challenges by mainstreaming innovations such as blockchain-enabled solutions to rethink the ways in which development solutions are being delivered across the SDG spectrum. This work points to the significant potential of blockchain technology as a game changer in solving some of the most pressing issues hindering the global recovery post Covid-19 to transition towards greener and more inclusive economies. Nevertheless, we also stress that the hype-cycle behind the “let’s blockchain it” trend does not mean that blockchain-backed solutions are necessarily superior to other alternatives which might be less costly and less technical in nature. Development practitioners prototyping and implementing blockchain-based solutions for sustainable development can utilize these insights and discussions to make informed decisions in their journey to harness the disruptive potential of blockchain alone or in tandem with other emerging technologies in the new world of business as unusual.

Bitcoin, as the first decentralized cryptocurrency, pioneers the cryptocurrency markets, both in terms of market capitalization and scientific interest. In this paper, we performed a comprehensive bibliometric study of the Bitcoin-related literature. Using the Scopus database, we created a sample that comprises 4495 documents written in the 2011–2020 period. Furthermore, we provided insights about dimensions such as the change in the number of publications over the course of years, the main research areas, types of published documents, most important platforms and sources of Bitcoin publications, highly cited studies, productive authors, author’s countries, and finally main funders of Bitcoin-related research. Lastly, our bibliometric study manifests the current state and future path of Bitcoin literature from distinct perspectives.

This paper investigates the intricate interplay between carbon emissions and foreign direct investment within the context of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) for the period spanning 2000 to 2022. In our comprehensive analysis, we incorporate ecological footprint, renewable energy, globalization, and technological innovations as exogenous variables. Employing a system of simultaneous equations across the BRICS panel, we aim to fully elucidate the proposed relationships. Our empirical findings underscore the following key insights: foreign direct investment, technological innovations, and the adoption of renewable energy sources significantly contribute to the mitigation of carbon emissions in these selected nations. However, it is essential to note that ecological footprints exhibit a positive association with carbon emissions, raising concerns on two fronts: escalating environmental degradation and increased land pressure, both of which contribute to rising ecological footprints in BRICS countries. Additionally, our analysis reveals that foreign direct investment is influenced by its capacity to reduce carbon emissions and bolster renewable energy adoption, while globalization amplifies investment trends within the BRICS nations. To address the environmental repercussions of mining activities, it is imperative to implement stringent control and regulation measures, given their potential adverse impacts, including soil pollution, acid mine drainage, erosion, biodiversity loss, excessive water resource consumption, and wastewater disposal challenges. Nevertheless, proactive steps such as recycling mining waste, adopting environmentally friendly mining equipment, combatting illegal mining, and enhancing overall mining sustainability offer promising avenues to mitigate the environmental footprint of mining operations.