A study on the knowledge networks in digital finance through bibliometric alchemy

This study employs bibliometric alchemy to explore the knowledge networks in the space of digital finance research between 2013 and 2025. It begins with 15,776 articles and finally through the process of bibliometric alchemy a dataset of 8838 articles is analyzed. The study critically identifies the key influencing factors, existing gaps, opportunities, and future trends in digital finance research. It identifies the four key major research areas (digital currencies, digital inclusive finance, fintech, and blockchain technology) among the diversified nature of digital finance research. The analysis reveals distinct thematic and geographical patterns: scholars in developed economies concentrate on crowdfunding, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain, while those in developing economies particularly China emphasize financial inclusion. In addition to it the present study highlights the institutional, market, and infrastructural determinants shaping divergent innovation pathways. Lastly, the present study identifies the following grey areas for future studies namely societal impact of financial inclusion, economic implications of the rise in Fintech's, and economic valuations of Non-Fungible Tokens. © 2025 The Author(s)