Analyzing Trends in Green Financial Instrument Issuance for Climate Finance in Capital Markets

Numerous stakeholders concur that tackling the climate change effect requires massive financial mobilization from the public and private sectors to reduce the climate financing gap. Capital markets are among the key players fostering this mobilization by issuing green financial instruments and facilitating capital flows to green investments. The study aimed to conduct a bibliometric analysis to fill a knowledge gap by evaluating the status and linkages in the literature on capital markets’ green financial instrument issuances. We utilized the Bibliometrix R package and VOS viewer to analyze 314 relevant publications from the Web of Science in 2017–2023 following the Sustainable Stock Exchanges’ green finance voluntary action plan. The analysis entailed mapping the scientific production trends, journal significance, author productivity, keyword linkages, emerging and trending topics, and collaborations within social structures. Further, the study assessed the applicability of Bradford’s, Zipf’s, and Lotka’s bibliometric laws. We highlight six conclusions based on the analysis, their relevance to various stakeholders, and future research directions. The findings are essential in enhancing the decision-making process of policymakers, corporations, responsible investors, and researchers interested in understanding the effectiveness and impact of green financial instruments.