A bibliometric analysis of ESG performance in the banking industry: From the current status to future directions

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors are subjects of increasing interest in national and international institutions. Within the banking sector, there is a growing awareness vis-à-vis the need to integrate ESG dimensions into strategies, processes, and financial instruments to generate value from medium- and long-term perspectives. The aims of this study are to assess the intellectual development, the characteristics of authors, and manuscripts pertaining to ESG in the banking industry, as well as to investigate the research trends. A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 271 publications over the 1986–2021 period. This article introduces a variety of findings, including the top authors at the journal and institution levels, citations, keyword distribution, highly cited works, co-authorship, and the most influential journals and authors. The bibliometric analysis clearly illustrates the different stages in this field of study as well as the emerging lines of research that can be studied in greater depth. • ESG performance is an increasingly important topic for banking industry and academia. • We conducted a bibliometric analysis of over 271 publications. • We present an overview of the topic as well as a graphic representation of the current research landscape. • We map the field and discuss major developments and future directions.