Article

Bibliometric and Network Mapping of FinTech Research: From Digital Economy Foundations to Emerging Methods

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Abstract

The rapid expansion of Financial Technology (FinTech) has generated a highly fragmented and methodologically diverse body of academic literature, spanning finance, economics, information systems, and data science. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and network-based analysis of FinTech research to systematically map its intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and methodological transformation. Using an integrated dataset extracted from Scopus and Web of Science covering the period 2008–2025, the study analyzes more than 3,000 peer-reviewed publications through publication and citation dynamics, source and institutional impact assessment, international collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence mapping, and methodological trend analysis. The results reveal three distinct developmental phases of FinTech research, characterized by early conceptualization, rapid expansion, and recent consolidation with exponential growth in both publications and citations. A limited set of interdisciplinary journals, including Finance Research Letters, IEEE Access, and Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, accounts for a substantial share of high-impact publications. Collaboration analysis identifies a core–periphery structure dominated by research hubs in China, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore, with emerging regions increasingly integrated through international co-authorship. Thematic clustering uncovers four stable research domains: digital finance adoption and platforms, blockchain and decentralized finance, AI-driven financial analytics, and open banking with regulatory technology. Methodological analysis shows a pronounced shift from econometric and statistical models toward machine learning, network analysis, and hybrid computational approaches, reflecting the growing complexity and data intensity of digital financial ecosystems. By explicitly linking research themes with dominant analytical methods, this study advances existing FinTech reviews and provides an empirically grounded synthesis of how the field has evolved from digital economy foundations to computationally sophisticated paradigms. The findings offer strategic insights for scholars, journal editors, and policymakers seeking to understand emerging research frontiers, methodological convergence, and the future trajectory of FinTech scholarship.

Keywords: Financial Technology (FinTech), Bibliometric Analysis, Science Mapping, Network Analysis, Digital Economy, Machine Learning in Finance, Blockchain Research, Research Trends

How to Cite:

Adrinaro, T. E. & Nugroho, Z. A., (2025) “Bibliometric and Network Mapping of FinTech Research: From Digital Economy Foundations to Emerging Methods”, FinTech Innovation Journal 1(2), 164-184. doi: https://doi.org/10.63913/ftij.v1i2.82