Cryptocurrency markets have become meaningful in emerging economies, where traditional financial systems often face structural frictions such as limited financial inclusion, high transaction costs, currency instability and constrained institutions. This special issue positions cryptocurrency markets within these realities rather than treating them as extensions of developed market phenomena, and it brings together rigorous and policy-relevant research on how digital asset markets function in institutionally constrained environments.
The issue integrates three strands that are rarely examined jointly: payment systems and transaction frictions, financial inclusion, and market microstructure grounded in granular, data-intensive analysis. Crypto-based payments and stablecoins are increasingly used for domestic and cross-border transactions where conventional channels are costly or inefficient, with direct implications for remittances, currency substitution and monetary sovereignty. At the same time, high retail participation, exchange fragmentation and limited disclosure shape price discovery, liquidity formation and informational efficiency in ways that differ materially from developed markets. Adoption in lower-income economies further raises pressing questions about financial inclusion, consumer protection, regulation and market integrity.
By leveraging large-scale blockchain transaction data, high-frequency trading records and behavioural signals, the issue moves beyond aggregate adoption studies to uncover the mechanisms through which crypto markets operate and the conditions under which they support or undermine development outcomes. We welcome empirical and theoretical contributions, including work combining finance, economics and data science. The issue aligns with several UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 1, SDG 8, SDG 9 and SDG 10, by addressing financial exclusion, inefficient payments and disparities in financial access across populations and regions.
List of Topic Areas
Payments and cross-border flows
- Crypto-based payment systems in emerging markets
- Stablecoins and cross-border remittances
- Currency substitution and crypto-driven dollarisation
- Crypto payments, monetary policy and capital controls
- CBDC and crypto interactions in emerging economies
Market microstructure and liquidity
- Price discovery in emerging-market crypto trading
- Liquidity formation and market depth
- Exchange fragmentation and cross-venue dynamics
- Retail versus institutional participation
- Tokenisation of real assets and market development
Financial inclusion
- Crypto adoption among unbanked and underserved populations
- Barriers to entry and digital access constraints
- Distributional effects across income groups and regions
- Decentralised finance as an inclusion channel
Regulation, governance and market integrity
- Comparative regulatory frameworks across emerging economies
- Enforcement capacity and supervisory challenges
- Investor protection and consumer safeguards
- Market manipulation, fraud and integrity
- Systemic risk and financial stability
Behavioural dynamics and big data
- Sentiment and social media signals in crypto trading
- On-chain data analytics and transparency
- Behavioural biases and herding in retail-driven markets
- Informational efficiency and market anomalies
Submissions Information
Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijoem
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: https://www.emerald.com/ijoem
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.
Journal Information: Scopus Journal Q1, H-Index 56
Key Deadlines
Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 01/09/2026
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 01/03/2027
For more details refer here
