Climate change is undeniably one of the long-term challenges confronting humanity across the globe. Various nations have taken initiatives that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the environment as well as accelerate financial flows to clean and sustainable projects. The paper provides an overview of green finance after the Paris Agreement by adopting a bibliometric analysis of the selected literature. The study reviewed the literature from the Web of Science database between 2015 and 2022. Data cleaning, formatting, and analysis was performed using VOSviewer and R-studio. Our study indicates increased scholarly interest on the issue of green financing. Most scientific research has been published in climate policy and sustainability journals but lacks mainstream interest in economic and finance journals. Based on our results, it is recommended that further studies on green financing be carried out from the economic and financial perspective using quantitative approaches to supplement the existing literature and provide a wider view to policy makers and regulators.

The purpose of this study is to systematically analyze the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on workforce employability and skills in the South Asian region. The study investigates the driving success factors, challenges, and needed skills by analyzing 48 peer-reviewed articles. The authors searched keywords on the Web of Science database for articles published between 2013 and 2022. The review was conducted using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA 2020) and pareto principles. The analysis identifies nine critical success factors, such as artificial intelligence, digital skills, and big data analytics, that contribute to Industry 4.0’s productivity and efficiency. It also identifies six types of challenges, such as training and development, financial constraints, and regulatory issues that must be addressed to grab maximum potential. In addition, the research categorizes five different skills, including the technical, digital, and social skills that are essential for the evolving labor market. The proposed “Industry 4.0 SEI Framework” provides stakeholders with a comprehensive view of the dynamics of Industry 4.0, thereby facilitating policy and industry strategies.

The study’s primary purpose is to assess the probabilistic impact of corruption in climate finance on achieving zero emissions. This scientific problem is highly relevant since the largest recipients of international climate assistance are countries with significant corruption in the public sector. Thus, it is necessary to increase the transparency in the use of international assistance funds and strengthen accountability. The study used the methods of survival analysis, namely the Kaplan-Meier approach and the Cox proportional hazards regression model, to investigate 114 countries that received international climate assistance during 2005-2021. The empirical analysis showed that the most probable time frame for achieving 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is five years. Moreover, the response of climate finance to reducing greenhouse emissions is faster in countries with medium levels of corruption than in countries with high and very high levels of corruption. Two covariates (the level of corruption and the volume of climate finance) likely to affect the achievement of net zero emissions were chosen to build the Cox proportional hazards model. The study empirically confirms that with a 1-point increase in the Corruption Perceptions Index, the probability of reducing emissions increases by 2.4581%, while the volume of climate finance does not have a statistically significant impact on the performance indicator. It suggests that current climate investment in underdeveloped countries is incapable of mitigating the negative impact of climate change.

This study investigates the nexus between green financing (GB) and carbon emissions across 29 countries distributed worldwide with full data on green financing measured as the sum of bonds issued for the period 2018–2021. GDP per capita, population, and environmental expenditure (EP) are used as control variables in the study. An interaction term between GB and EP is also included in the study. This study utilized the Panel Robust Fixed Effect Model (PRFEM) to investigate the nexus between green financing and carbon emissions and how EP enhances the effectiveness of green financing in reducing carbon emissions. The study concludes that green finance is effective in reducing carbon emissions; this relationship remains the same regardless of country-specific factors such as the GDP per capita, EP, and population. Increases in environmental protection (EP) expenditure promote the effectiveness of green financing in reducing carbon emissions. This study recommends policies that promote the green transition including tax exemptions for investors in green bonds, the enactment of rules and regulations that require companies and institutions to provide information about their green projects, and lastly, the establishment of standards that help in measuring the impacts of the projects that are being funded through green bonds. The synergic potential between EP and green financing justifies the need for policies supporting the collaboration of public and private collaboration in attracting green capital flows from the private sectors. By enhancing the green bond market, these steps will contribute toward realizing low carbon economy goals by channeling funds to sustainable and environmentally friendly projects.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an integral path towards realizing vision 2030 and the sustainable goals of the UN, as well as the sustainable development of individual countries. However, in recent years it has become increasingly clear that these goals cannot be achieved without sustainable corporate practices. Previous research seeking determine the effect of CSR on the financial performance of various institutions have yielded different results, leaving geographical, sectorial, and scholarly gaps. This study aimed to discover the effect of CSR on the financial performance of financial institutions in Kenya, as this country lacks a direct association between CSR and corporate financial performance (CFP). We focused on examining the effect of ethical, charitable, and gender-mainstreaming CSR activities on the financial performance of financial institutions in Kirinyaga County. A study population of 300 employees working in the financial institutions in Kirinyaga County was included, and a sample of 171 participants was selected using stratified and systematic sampling techniques. A causal research design was adopted, and data were analyzed using SPSS software. Questionnaires were administered in person to gather primary data. The study found a strong positive relationship between CSR practices and the financial performance of financial institutions and recommends that firms invest more in ethical, charitable, and gender-mainstreaming CSR activities, as such activities positively influence their financial performance.

Green banking has become a concept of interest, particularly with the focus on the role played by banks in pursuing Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action. This study is distinguished from previous ones in that it aimed at investigating the multi-regional view on green banking practices/activities around the world with a special emphasis on the opportunities and challenges that various banks encounter in different geographical areas. A systematic review approach was adopted based on the Web of Science and Scopus databases, in which 159 articles were retrieved and 62 articles synthesized through a thematic analysis. The research process was demonstrated through a Prisma 2020 flowchart. Key multiregional green banking activities identified include digital banking, green loan or sukuk products for Islam-dominated economies, green services and investments, and financing of green infrastructure. In essence, the implementation of green banking is either directly through active green lending and greening their operations or indirectly through enhancing conditions. The key challenges identified include regulatory handles, social economic and culture hinderances, transition risk and the high cost of compliance, greenwashing concerns, and weak investor confidence. The most prevalent opportunities included green banking as a strategic competitive advantage, emerging market niche, and as a strategy for long-term climate risk management.