Alternative Finance and Financial Innovation: Risks, Opportunities, and Regulation
A special issue of Journal of Risk and Financial Management (ISSN 1911-8074). This special issue belongs to the section "Financial Technology and Innovation".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 21
Special Issue Editors
Interests: fintech; financial inclusion and alternative finance
Interests: financial innovation—crowdfunding and blockchain applications in finance; SMEs access to finance; behavioural finance; capital structure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global financial landscape is undergoing rapid transformation driven by technological advances and evolving market needs. This Special Issue aims to explore the dynamic domain of alternative finance and financial innovation, with a particular focus on their implications for risk management, opportunities for financial inclusion, and regulatory frameworks. As decentralized finance (DeFi), crowdfunding, peer-to-peer lending, digital assets, and fintech platforms gain momentum, it becomes essential to examine both the disruptive potential and systemic vulnerabilities that they introduce.
We welcome high-quality contributions that investigate theoretical frameworks, empirical analyses, case studies, and policy perspectives on the development and impact of financial innovation. Topics of interest include the role of regulation in fostering or restraining innovation, the measurement and mitigation of emerging risks, and the socio-economic effects of new financial models. Submissions that bridge finance with technology, economics, law, and behavioral science are particularly encouraged.
In addition, this Special Issue seeks to generate insights with real-world relevance—particularly for policymakers, regulators, and practitioners operating in emerging and developing economies. It aims to gather contributions addressing questions such as:
- What are the new opportunities and risks created by financial innovation and alternative finance?
- How do regulatory systems strike the balance of accepting new innovations without discouraging growth and inclusion?
- What is the role of alternative finance mechanisms towards sustainable development, SME financing, and financial inclusion, particularly in developing and emerging markets?
By examining these and related questions, this Special Issue aims to inform policy design and promote more resilient and equitable financial systems.
This Special Issue ultimately seeks to offer a comprehensive understanding of how innovation reshapes financial systems and what this means for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in the field of finance.
Dr. Lenny P. Mamaro
Dr. Nikolaos Daskalakis
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Risk and Financial Management 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 1400 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.
Keywords
- alternative finance
- financial Innovation
- fintech
- decentralized finance (DeFi)
- crowdfunding
- peer-to-peer lending
- blockchain and cryptocurrencies
- financial inclusion
- risk management
- financial regulation
- sustainable finance
- digital assets
- RegTech
- financial stability
- policy impact
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