FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY AND FINANCIAL STABILITY: A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW OF GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS

Abstract

The rapid evolution of financial technology has transformed the global financial landscape, creating opportunities for innovation, inclusion, and efficiency while introducing systemic risks, regulatory uncertainties, and challenges to financial stability. This study presents a bibliometric review of global research trends at the intersection of financial technology and financial stability from 2000 to 2025, mapping the intellectual structure, identifying emerging themes, and highlighting influential contributions. Using Scopus data, the analysis examines 339 peer-reviewed documents across 242 sources. Bibliometric techniques were applied through VOSviewer, Bibliometrix (R), and Biblioshiny to evaluate publication trends, influential authors, thematic clusters, co-authorship networks, and keyword co-occurrences. The results show an average annual growth rate of 21.46 percent, with a marked increase in publications after 2017 coinciding with the mainstream adoption of digital finance and heightened policy focus on financial resilience. Findings indicate that financial technology promotes financial inclusion, banking efficiency, and economic empowerment, yet also introduces cybersecurity threats, regulatory gaps, and systemic vulnerabilities, particularly in emerging markets. Dominant themes include blockchain, digital payments, financial literacy, and central bank digital currencies, with decentralized finance and artificial intelligence emerging as fast-growing areas of scholarly interest. Geographically, China leads in publication volume, while the United Kingdom and the United States dominate in scholarly influence. This review provides a strategic roadmap for researchers and policymakers to navigate the evolving financial technology landscape and emphasizes the need for future research to integrate ethical governance, artificial intelligence risk management, and inclusive financial innovation frameworks.