Dynamics of Modern Financial Systems: Inclusion, Complexity, and Institutional Resilience

A special issue of Systems (ISSN 2079-8954). This special issue belongs to the section "Systems Practice in Social Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 470

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP), Department of Economics Management and Industrial Engineering (DEGEIT), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: financial inclusion; financial stability; competitiveness; financial regulation; feasible generalized least squares model; banks; panel data; financial development; economic development; public finance; financial markets

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Guest Editor
Research Unit GOVCOPP, Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism (DEGEIT), Campus Universitario de Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: financial markets; sustainable finance; energy finance; financial economics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue seeks to reignite the debate on the stability of the financial system, highlighting how its dynamics and complexity increase systemic risk. By intermediating resources between economic agents, the financial system creates a network of interdependencies between them. As this network expands, complexity increases, and it becomes more difficult to predict the factors that affect stability. In addition, the structure of the financial system, composed of banking, capital markets, insurance, pension funds, and payment subsystems, reinforces this interconnection and requires an integrated understanding to ensure its efficient functioning.

Complex systems theory provides a useful framework for understanding this reality, arguing that strong interconnections between agents can generate emergent behaviors, an absence of linear cause-and-effect relationships, and limited predictability. On the other hand, due to the strong correlation between actors in the financial system, small shocks are easily amplified and quickly spread. Financial innovation results from the dynamics of the system and promotes financial inclusion, but it also increases complexity by changing the patterns of interaction between agents. Thus, our aim is to collate articles that address the dynamics and complexities of the financial system and suggest policies capable of predicting and mitigating systemic risk and fostering financial resilience and stability.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome to be submitted. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Dynamics and complexity of financial systems;
  • Interconnectivity, contagion, and risk transmission;
  • Credit risk;
  • Systemic risk and financial stability;
  • Macroprudential policies and financial supervision;
  • Financial innovation and digital transformation;
  • Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and crypto-assets;
  • Financial inclusion and economic development;
  • Financial literacy and behavior of economic agents;
  • Financial governance and institutional quality;
  • Corruption, ethics, and integrity in the financial system;
  • Financial resilience and response to external shocks;
  • Sustainability, green finance, and economic transition;
  • Models for forecasting and monitoring financial crises;
  • Contribution of financial institutions to long-term stability;
  • Financial regulation in complex environments;
  • Technological infrastructures and cybersecurity;
  • Banking competition and market structure;
  • International financial and geopolitical integration;
  • Digital platforms and electronic payments;
  • Behavioral finance and decision-making.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. João Jungo
Dr. Mara Madaleno
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Systems 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 2400 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

  • financial stability
  • systemic risk
  • financial complexity
  • interdependence
  • financial inclusion
  • financial innovation
  • financial intermediation
  • complex systems
  • financial contagion
  • financial regulation
  • prudential supervision
  • emerging markets
  • institutional resilience

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 797 KB  
Article
Climate Shocks, Stock Price Crash Risk, and Corporate Sustainability: Evidence from China’s Financial System
by Tian Liu and Wei Zhao
Systems 2026, 14(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/systems14010018 - 24 Dec 2025
Viewed by 223
Abstract
Climate shocks are increasingly recognized as systemic stressors that disrupt financial stability and undermine sustainable development. Using a comprehensive panel of Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2023, this study examines how physical climate shocks propagate through the financial system. Specifically, we investigate [...] Read more.
Climate shocks are increasingly recognized as systemic stressors that disrupt financial stability and undermine sustainable development. Using a comprehensive panel of Chinese listed firms from 2007 to 2023, this study examines how physical climate shocks propagate through the financial system. Specifically, we investigate their impact on elevating stock price crash risk and impairing corporate sustainability. We construct a firm-level physical climate risk indicator by applying machine learning and text analysis to annual reports. The empirical evidence demonstrates that climate shocks significantly increase stock price crash risk, indicating heightened systemic vulnerability within the financial system. Mechanism analysis identifies two key transmission channels linking climate shocks to crash risk: tightened liquidity constraints and diminished risk-taking capacity. Furthermore, we find that firms with stronger green transformation efforts exhibit lower sensitivity to climate-induced crash risk. This highlights the crucial role of green initiatives in enhancing institutional and financial resilience. Additional analyses reveal that the rise in crash risk subsequently weakens corporate sustainable development performance. Overall, these findings provide micro-level evidence of how climate shocks generate asymmetric effects within the financial system. The study concludes with policy implications for strengthening climate resilience, stabilizing capital markets, and advancing sustainability in emerging economies. Full article
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