The green transition has emerged as a global strategic imperative, positioning green finance as a central mechanism for channelling capital into environmentally sustainable initiatives. Instruments that promote green finance encompass green bonds, green credits, and green investments, among others. These instruments not only direct capital toward environmentally friendly activities but also bring financial benefits to firms and enterprises. This study offers an exhaustive overview of the subject based on a bibliometric analysis of 128 papers indexed in Scopus from 2015 to 2024. The result illustrates a remarkable increase in literature publications since 2021, with China leading in both productivity and scholarly impact. Energy Economics is the most influential journal, with the high-impact publication being, “Can the green credit policy stimulate green innovation in heavily polluting enterprises?” Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China” by Hu, G.; Wang, X.; and Wang, Y. Keywords with high occurrence, which represent the core themes of the topic, include “green finance”, “green innovation”, “financial constraint”, and “green credit policy”. From the clustering of keywords, four primary research streams are identified: (i) foundations of green finance, (ii) policy implications, (iii) effects of green credit, and (iv) China’s green financial pathways. Future research should further examine the role of green credit in advancing green transformation, strengthening environmental regulation, fostering green innovation, and alleviating financial constraints. While the study provides valuable insights, its scope is constrained by reliance on the Scopus database, English-language sources, and an emphasis on development trends considered through the lens of the green transition.
