This study maps the intellectual, thematic, and collaborative landscape of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainable finance (SF) research by identifying influential works, core research areas, and emerging trends. Using a mixed-method bibliometric approach combining citation and co-authorship analysis with latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modelling, 294 peer-reviewed Scopus articles (2012–2025) were analysed through R-Studio and VOSviewer. Six major research themes emerged: social impact and metrics; AI, big data and innovation; business models and sustainability; ESG ratings and reporting; policy, regulation and governance; and sustainable investment and returns. Results reveal rapid growth in ESG-SF research post-2019, peaking in 2024, with notable dominance of European scholarship. The study highlights a shift toward technology- and regulation-driven research and offers valuable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to inform ESG policies, reporting frameworks, and sustainable investment models fostering global equity and transparency.