Digital Finance and Corporate Sustainability Performance: Promoting or Restricting? Evidence from China’s Listed Companies

Abstract

The development of internet platforms and information technology has accelerated the transformation of conventional finance. Emerging digital finance is expected to optimize the allocation of credit resources and thereby promote a sustainable transition for corporations. However, whether, and to what extent, digital finance empirically affects this process is still not well understood. This paper investigates the role of digital finance in promoting corporate sustainability performance by exploring its impact on green enterprise innovation and its mechanism using a two-way fixed effects model and a mediating effects model. The findings suggest the following: (i) The impact of digital finance on the sustainable performance of enterprises follows a U-shaped (coef. = 0.00, t = 2.43) pattern, where digital finance initially restricts and then promotes the sustainable performance of enterprises. This conclusion remains robust even after considering endogeneity. (ii) The mechanism analysis indicates that digital finance enhances sustainability performance by reducing corporate financial volatility (coef. = −0.00, t = −4.06) and promoting long-term performance growth (coef. = 6.69, t = 4.88). (iii) The positive effects of digital finance on sustainability performance are more significant for non-state-owned firms (coef. = 0.00, t = 5.42), firms located in cities with a lower GDP per capita (coef. = 0.00, t = 2.40), and smaller firms (coef. = −0.00, t = −2.59) in their initial stages. These results imply that China should accelerate digitization in the financial markets and thus further develop its potential for sustainable development.