Sustainable Finance in Transition: ESG Investment, Risks and Ethical Issues

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks to advance the theoretical and empirical frontiers of sustainable finance and ESG investment for achieving global sustainability goals. By linking rigorous financial analysis with actionable policy insights, this Special Issue aims to provide a roadmap for redirecting global capital flows toward projects that deliver measurable environmental and social benefits alongside competitive financial returns.

International Journal of Finance Studies invites cutting-edge research on sustainable finance as a system in transition. We seek to sharpen understanding of how ESG investment, climate and transition risk, and ethical tensions reshape capital allocation and financial stability.

We welcome both theoretical and empirical studies, as well as interdisciplinary contributions, that provide new insights into sustainable finance and investment.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Climate and transition risk.
• Transition finance and innovations (e.g., green bonds, ESG funds).
• Carbon markets.
• Biodiversity finance.
• Sustainable FinTech.
• AI, blockchain, and digital ESG analytics.
• Nature-related financial risks.
• Greenwashing or ESG washing.
• ESG disclosure and supervision.
• Climate-related financial regulation.

We welcome clear theoretical contributions, rigorous empirical identification, novel datasets and innovative methodologies. Submissions should advance scholarly debate and inform policy and practice on the ethical and systemic dimensions of sustainable finance.

For inquiries, please contact [y.guo@tees.ac.uk]. For submission guidelines and further details, please contact [ijfs@mdpi.com] or visit Instructions for Authors.

We look forward to receiving your contributions to this critical and evolving field.

Dr. Yongsheng Guo
Dr. Chi Keung Marco Lau
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Financial Studies is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.