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  Cluster 7: Finance, Accounting & Economics

Budget-Friendly Banking Journals for Researchers (2026)

Banking researchers — including postgraduate students, central bank staff without dedicated research budgets, and academics in lower-income institutions — benefit from budget-friendly banking journals that combine affordable APCs with genuine peer review quality and credible indexing. Keith Publications IJBFS offers exactly this combination for banking and financial services research.

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What to Look for When Choosing a Journal

Before submitting your research, evaluate journals on these key criteria:

  • Transparent APC with no hidden or surprise fees after acceptance
  • Waiver programme for eligible researchers from developing economies
  • Competitive APC relative to comparable finance peer-reviewed journals
  • No submission or review fee charged before peer review decision
  • Flexible payment options for institutional and individual authors
  • Value proposition: quality open access finance publication at accessible cost

Recommended Journals — Cluster 7: Finance, Accounting & Economics

All journals below are published by Keith Publications — open access, peer-reviewed, and indexed for global discoverability.

  • Journal of Financial Economics and Management (JFEM)

    Financial economics, corporate finance, investment management, financial markets, monetary policy, and the economics of financial systems and institutions.

    Review: 2–3 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Financial Economics Corporate Finance Investment Management Financial Markets
  • Journal of Accounting and Financial Reporting (JAFR)

    Financial accounting, management accounting, auditing, corporate governance, financial reporting standards, and the intersection of accounting with regulation and public policy.

    Review: 2–4 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Financial Accounting Auditing Corporate Governance Financial Reporting
  • International Journal of Banking and Financial Services (IJBFS)

    Banking systems, financial services regulation, fintech, digital banking, risk management, financial inclusion, and the stability of global financial institutions.

    Review: 2–4 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Banking Systems Financial Services Fintech Risk Management
  • Economics and Social Policy Research Journal (ESPRJ)

    Applied economics, development economics, fiscal and monetary policy, social policy evaluation, labour economics, and the economics of welfare, health, and education.

    Review: 2–4 weeks Open Access DOI (CrossRef) Google Scholar
    Applied Economics Development Economics Fiscal Policy Social Policy

Fast Publication: All Keith Publications journals complete initial review within 2–5 business days and full peer review within 2–4 weeks. Articles are published online within 5–10 days of acceptance — making us one of the fastest open access publishers in finance, accounting, and economics.

Understanding Article Processing Charges in Finance Journals

Article Processing Charges (APCs) fund the editorial, peer review management, and production costs of open access finance and economics publication. Keith Publications offers competitive, transparent APCs with no hidden fees — the cost stated at submission is the cost on acceptance. For finance and economics researchers from lower-income economies, waiver and discount programmes are available — ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent qualified accounting researchers, banking scholars, financial economists, and development economists from publishing their work in indexed, peer-reviewed open access journals.

Maximising Value From Your Finance Research Publication Investment

When evaluating the cost of publishing in a finance or economics journal, consider the full value: an indexed, open access, CrossRef-DOI-assigned article that appears in Google Scholar, is permanently preserved, and freely accessible to policymakers, bankers, regulators, and researchers worldwide represents a substantial return on the publication investment. Keith Publications APCs cover double-blind peer review, professional production, CrossRef DOI registration, Google Scholar indexing, open access hosting, and long-term digital preservation — providing complete finance publication services for a transparent, affordable one-time charge.

Tips to Maximise Your Acceptance Chances

  1. Align your topic with the journal's scope — confirm your research fits the journal's finance, accounting, or economics focus area.
  2. Establish clear research questions — finance and economics editors expect precise, testable hypotheses or well-defined research questions.
  3. Address endogeneity and identification — be explicit about your causal identification strategy and its limitations.
  4. Use appropriate data and methodology — match your econometric or quantitative methods to your research question and data structure.
  5. Follow formatting guidelines exactly — non-compliant manuscripts are often desk-rejected without review.
  6. State practical and policy implications — explain how your findings inform investors, regulators, policymakers, or practitioners.
  7. Ensure robust robustness checks — include alternative specifications, subsample analyses, and placebo tests to strengthen your empirical claims.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the IJBFS a budget-friendly banking journal?
Yes. The International Journal of Banking and Financial Services (IJBFS) offers competitive, transparent APCs with no hidden costs. APC waiver and discount programmes are available for eligible researchers.
Can central bank economists publish in budget-friendly banking journals?
Yes. Central bank economists — particularly from lower-income country central banks without large research publication budgets — are eligible for APC waiver consideration at Keith Publications. Contact the editorial team before submitting to discuss eligibility.
What does the IJBFS APC include?
The IJBFS APC covers peer review management, article production and copyediting, CrossRef DOI registration, Google Scholar indexing, open access hosting, and long-term digital preservation — a comprehensive publication service at competitive cost.
Are self-funded banking researchers welcome at budget-friendly journals?
Yes. Self-funded banking researchers who conduct scholarship independently or as part of their professional banking roles are welcome at Keith Publications. Budget-friendly APCs and waiver programmes support these researchers.

Ready to Publish Your Research?

Submit your finance, accounting, or economics manuscript to Keith Publications today. Fast peer review, open access, and global indexing — get your work published within weeks.

Submit Your Manuscript Now Contact the Editorial Team