Blockchain and sustainable finance as enablers of regenerative finance: a bibliometric and thematic review

Blockchain technology, sustainable finance, and regenerative finance are increasingly intersecting as vital research frontiers in addressing global environmental and social challenges. This study offers a comprehensive bibliometric and thematic analysis of the scholarly landscape at this intersection, aiming to illuminate how these domains are evolving and converging. Drawing on a curated dataset of 78 peer-reviewed articles sourced from Scopus and Web of Science, the research integrates quantitative bibliometric mapping with qualitative thematic insights to capture both the structural and conceptual dimensions of the field. The analysis employs co-word mapping to explore patterns of keyword co-occurrence and identify key intellectual linkages, thematic evolution analysis to track the development of major research themes over time, and factorial correspondence analysis to visualize the relationships among concepts within a multidimensional space. Findings reveal a rapidly growing and increasingly interdisciplinary body of work, with blockchain and sustainable finance serving as central pillars, while regenerative finance, though still emerging, shows strong conceptual potential. Notably, the appearance of AI-related themes suggests a nascent yet promising integration of intelligent systems with sustainability-focused finance. Together, these insights offer a nuanced understanding of the field’s current dynamics and lay the groundwork for future research on regenerative, technology-enabled financial systems.