The Emerging Trends of Digital Zakat Research: Technological Integration and Sustainability Insight

Abstract

The rapid digital transformation in the global financial sector presents significant opportunities to optimize zakat management. However, its potential remains underutilized due to low public literacy, limited transparency, and weak trust in zakat institutions. This study is motivated by the need to map the development of digital zakat research systematically. It aims to identify major research trends, thematic clusters, and future directions in the field. Employing a qualitative bibliometric approach, this study analyzes 86 Scopus-indexed publications using VOSviewer to examine keyword relationships and the evolution of the research landscape. The findings reveal four main clusters: fintech as the most dominant, zakat emphasizing trust and blockchain, technology as an emerging yet loosely connected theme, and Islamic fintech as an integrative hub linking all clusters. Additionally, sustainability remains weakly connected within the existing literature. These results suggest that advancing digital zakat requires not only technological innovation but also the strengthening of trust and the integration of sustainability principles. Future research should therefore focus on developing inclusive, transparent, and sustainability-oriented digital zakat models.