University: Macquarie University
Academic supervisor:
A/Prof. Di Bu
Industry partner: DFCRC
Academic Background and Work Experience
Lanping Zhang holds a Master of Research degree in Applied Finance from Macquarie University and is a recipient of the DFCRC PhD Top-Up Scholarship. She is currently undertaking her PhD at Macquarie University. Prior to her doctoral studies, she accumulated four years of professional experience in the
banking and financial services sector, focusing on credit analysis, financial risk management, and SME lending. Her primary research interests include credit risk modelling, alternative data, carbon finance, and the intersection of AI, blockchain, and sustainable lending.
Thesis Topic
Tokenising SME Carbon Metrics for Sustainable Lending: A Blockchain-Based Approach to Green Credit Scoring
My research addresses the green financing gap for SMEs by transforming firm-level carbon metrics into blockchain-based Carbon Accountability Score Tokens (CASTs). These tokens provide verifiable, real-time ESG signals, enabling banks to automate sustainability-linked lending and offer fairer terms to SMEs.
The project reduces the cost of carbon auditing, expands access to green credit, and supports scalable, transparent digital financial infrastructure aligned with emerging regulatory standards.
About DFCRC
DFCRC oversees and operates a 10-year, $180 million research program as a collaboration between industry partners, universities, and the Australian Government through the Cooperative Research Centres Program. Our mission is to develop and leverage the next transformation in financial markets – the digitisation of assets traded and exchanged directly on digital platforms.