New Frontiers in Sustainable Finance

Call for Papers – New Frontiers in Sustainable Finance

Journal: China Finance Review International
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Submission window: 31 October 2025 – 31 July 2026

This special issue explores new frontiers in sustainable finance, focusing on how financial markets, firms, investors, and regulators integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities into investment decisions, corporate policies, and regulatory frameworks. It aims to publish cutting‑edge empirical and theoretical research that advances understanding of green finance, climate‑related risk, corporate decarbonisation, and ESG‑driven innovation, with direct implications for policy and practice in a resource‑constrained global economy.

Why this issue matters

• Sustainability is now a core driver of financial decision‑making, reshaping asset allocation, ESG integration, green bonds, and climate‑risk management.

• Capital markets are increasingly expected to price climate and transition risks, influence corporate governance and disclosure, and support sustainable development outcomes.

• This special issue seeks to bridge finance theory with real‑world sustainability challenges, offering rigorous evidence on how profit motives and sustainability goals can be aligned.

Core themes and topic areas

The SI welcomes empirical, theoretical, and policy‑oriented submissions on, but not limited to:

• ESG integration and financial performance

  • How ESG factors affect firm valuation, cost of capital, and investment performance.

• Corporate decarbonisation and climate‑risk management

  • Measurement and management of firm‑level climate risk and transition risk.

  • Corporate responses to carbon‑pricing regimes and decarbonisation pathways.

• Energy and carbon markets

  • Design, efficiency, and impact of carbon markets, emissions trading schemes, and green energy financing.

• Corporate governance and ESG oversight

  • Role of boards, executives, and auditors in ESG oversight, greenwashing, and responsible governance.

• CSR, reputation, and competitive advantage

  • How sustainability‑related reputation creates or erodes competitive advantage and stakeholder trust.

• FinTech and AI for sustainability

  • Use of blockchain, AI, and digital platforms in sustainable investing, green fintech, and ESG analytics.

• Mandatory disclosure and regulatory frameworks

  • Impact of ESG and climate‑related disclosure requirements (e.g., TCFD, CSRD, ISSB) on markets and firms.

• Green bonds and sustainability‑linked contracts

  • Effectiveness and pricing of green bonds, sustainability‑linked loans, and performance‑based financing.

• Banking and climate change

  • Strategies for climate‑risk‑aware lending, green portfolios, and banking‑sector resilience.

• Innovation, digitalisation, and financial markets

  • How digitalisation and innovation reshape sustainable finance mechanisms and market structures.

Guest editors

• Prof. Sabri Boubaker, EM Normandie Business School (France) / University of Swansea (UK)

• Prof. Peng‑Fei Dai, Wuhan University of Technology, China

• Prof. Chengbo Fu, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada

• Dr. Xiaohong (Sara) Wang, Northeastern Illinois University, USA

Submission details

• Submission platform: ScholarOne Manuscripts for China Finance Review International:
  https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cfri

• When submitting, select the special issue title “New Frontiers in Sustainable Finance” in the drop‑down menu under “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.

• Key deadlines:

  • Submission opening: 31 October 2025

  • Submission closing: 31 July 2026

• Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere.

• Authors must follow the journal’s Author Guidelines available at:
  https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/cfri

Papers should provide clear methodological and conceptual contributions to sustainable finance and discuss implications for investors, firms, and regulators in the context of the SDGs and global climate‑action agendas.

ServiceSetu Academics — Premier Platform for Academic Opportunities & Research Collaboration

Visit official website of the publisher