This new volume examines the rapidly evolving landscape of financial innovation shaped by digital technologies. From mobile payments and robo-advisory services to decentralized finance (DeFi) and asset tokenization, the book captures the breadth of transformation redefining how financial systems operate. It presents a balanced exploration of both opportunities and challenges, highlighting how fintech is expanding access, improving efficiency, and reshaping traditional financial structures.
Bridging theory and application, the volume brings together contemporary research, bibliometric analyses, and real-world case studies to illustrate the growing integration of blockchain across financial domains. It explores the role of cryptocurrencies and smart contracts, the use of blockchain in fraud prevention and financial education, and the broader implications for transparency, security, and trust.
With a strong focus on emerging trends and future directions, the book also considers the intersection of blockchain with Industry 5.0, business intelligence, and advanced analytics. It offers critical insights into how financial institutions, researchers, and policymakers can navigate this dynamic environment and leverage innovation responsibly.
Neha Puri, PhD, is an accomplished Associate Professor at Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, India, with over 15 years of teaching experience at esteemed institutions. She is a dedicated academician, serving as the chief course coordinator for various financial accounting courses and as a member of the boards of studies. Her expertise encompasses a range of financial and accounting domains, including financial statement analysis, financial performance, accounting standards, and more. She is an avid researcher, with numerous publications in international journals, on such topics as IFRS, financial statement analysis, adoption of IFRS, oil prices, and exchange rate and volatility. Additionally, she is currently supervising PhD scholars. Apart from her academic endeavors, she is recognized as a proficient reviewer for reputable journals. She has also been invited as a session chair for various international conferences and as a resource person for faculty development programs on bibliometric analysis and training programs for bankers. She has received many accolades, including best research paper awards and registered two copyrights.
Anjali Munde, PhD, holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics with honors from Hans Raj College, University of Delhi, India. She was awarded a prestigious gold medal from the same university. Presently, she is working with the University of Southampton Malaysia (UoSM). Before her current assignment, she worked at renowned institutes such as the School of Inspired Leadership, Amity University, and IIMT, G.G.S.I.P University, Delhi, India. Dr. Munde has published several research papers in reputed journals indexed in ABDC, Scopus, and Web of Science. She has also presented technical papers at various national and international conferences. She is a reviewer and editorial board member of several national and international journals. She is a member of the Technological Innovations, Financial Intermediation, and Environmental Sustainability (TIFIES) research group at UoSM. She is working on a research project under the UoSM Seed Fund. With over 18 years of teaching experience, Dr. Munde’s research interests include fuzzy information measures, decision-making, coding theory, business analytics, machine leaning, and text mining.
Emilia Alaverdov, PhD, is Professor and Head of International Relations Bachelor Program in the Faculty of Law and International Relations at Georgian Technical University, Tbilisi, Georgia. She is a member of the editorial boards of 12 international journals, the editor of nine books, author of about 31 scientific papers, and co-author of seven books. She has also participated in eight Erasmus+ projects and more than 50 international scientific conferences (mostly abroad) and has organized various international scientific events. Her research interests are religion, migration, religious tourism, and European and Russian studies. She is fluent in English, Russian, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Armenian and, Greek. She received her bachelor degree in Languages and Literature and has been awarded the qualification of Philologist of English Language and Literature and Spanish Language and Literature by Ilia Chavchavadze State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. She has a master degree in International Relations and Politics from the Diplomatic Academy of Georgia.
