IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v142y2025ics0140988325000064.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Fintech empowers enterprises to practice ESG: The role of political background of executives

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Bei
  • Chen, Ziyi
  • Wang, Ying
  • Sun, Xiaolong

Abstract

How Fintech promotes sustainable corporate development is an important topic nowadays, and it is significant to explore the environmental, social and governance (ESG) enhancing effect of Fintech. This paper explores the impact and mechanism of Fintech on corporate ESG performance based on the data of listed companies in China from 2011 to 2022. The results show that Fintech can significantly improve corporate ESG performance, and instrumental variable regression and robustness methods prove the reliability of the findings. And both the breadth of coverage and the depth of use of Fintech can improve the ESG performance of local firms. Mechanism analysis reveals that breaking down information barriers, optimizing investment structure, and stimulating green innovation are key channels of action for Fintech to enhance corporate ESG. Executives with political backgrounds are more likely to capitalize on Fintech developments to improve corporate ESG practices, and the moderating effect of political backgrounds is particularly pronounced in firms dominated by male and highly educated executives. In addition, Fintech can improve the environmental and social performance of energy firms effectively, whereas in non-energy firms, Fintech tends to improve their corporate governance performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Bei & Chen, Ziyi & Wang, Ying & Sun, Xiaolong, 2025. "Fintech empowers enterprises to practice ESG: The role of political background of executives," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:142:y:2025:i:c:s0140988325000064
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108183
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988325000064
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2025.108183?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yang, Xiangyang & Li, Zijun & Qiu, Zhaoxuan & Wang, Jinmin & Liu, Bei, 2024. "ESG performance and corporate technology innovation: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    2. Agoraki, Maria-Eleni K. & Aslanidis, Nektarios & Kouretas, Georgios P., 2023. "How has COVID-19 affected the performance of green investment funds?," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    3. Tigges, Maximilian & Mestwerdt, Sönke & Tschirner, Sebastian & Mauer, René, 2024. "Who gets the money? A qualitative analysis of fintech lending and credit scoring through the adoption of AI and alternative data," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    4. Ding, Na & Gu, Leilei & Peng, Yuchao, 2022. "Fintech, financial constraints and innovation: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    5. Brogi, Marina & Lagasio, Valentina, 2024. "New but naughty. The evolution of misconduct in FinTech," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
    6. Liu, Jiangtao & Zhang, Yi & Kuang, Jia, 2023. "Fintech development and green innovation: Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    7. Lisha, Liu & Mousa, Saeed & Arnone, Gioia & Muda, Iskandar & Huerta-Soto, Rosario & Shiming, Zhai, 2023. "Natural resources, green innovation, fintech, and sustainability: A fresh insight from BRICS," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    8. Zhou, Guangyou & Zhu, Jieyu & Luo, Sumei, 2022. "The impact of fintech innovation on green growth in China: Mediating effect of green finance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    9. Adekoya, Oluwasegun B. & Oliyide, Johnson A. & Saleem, Owais & Adeoye, Habeeb A., 2022. "Asymmetric connectedness between Google-based investor attention and the fourth industrial revolution assets: The case of FinTech and Robotics & Artificial intelligence stocks," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    10. Wang, Kai & Chen, Xi & Wang, Chenye, 2023. "The impact of sustainable development planning in resource-based cities on corporate ESG–Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    11. Bei Liu & Xing Bao & Zhaoxuan Qiu & Yunyun Zhang & Qiu Xia, 2024. "How does financial openness affect pollution emission of industrial enterprises?—Empirical evidence from the entry of foreign banks in China," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 2910-2930, August.
    12. Wang, Shaohui & Yong, Yanlan & Liu, Xizhang & Wang, Yunliang, 2024. "How Fintech mitigates credit mismatches to promote green innovation: Evidence from Chinese listed enterprises," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    13. Gao, Weiwei & Huang, Zhen & Yang, Ping, 2019. "Political connections, corporate governance and M&A performance: Evidence from Chinese family firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 38-53.
    14. Liu, Bei & Ren, Baoping & Jin, Fei, 2025. "Does climate risk affect the ease of access to credit for farmers? Evidence from CHFS," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    15. Cheng, Maoyong & Qu, Yang, 2020. "Does bank FinTech reduce credit risk? Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    16. Hongyu Li & Zhiqiang Lu & Qili Yin, 2023. "The Development of Fintech and SME Innovation: Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-14, January.
    17. Zhang, Dongyang & Kong, Qunxi, 2022. "Green energy transition and sustainable development of energy firms: An assessment of renewable energy policy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    18. Merello, Paloma & Barberá, Antonio & la Poza, Elena De, 2022. "Is the sustainability profile of FinTech companies a key driver of their value?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    19. Fu, Tong & Jian, Ze, 2021. "Corruption pays off: How environmental regulations promote corporate innovation in a developing country," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    20. Rizvi, Syed Kumail Abbas & Rahat, Birjees & Naqvi, Bushra & Umar, Muhammad, 2024. "Revolutionizing finance: The synergy of fintech, digital adoption, and innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    21. Shen, Chung-Hua & Lin, Chih-Yung & Wang, Yu-Chun, 2015. "Do strong corporate governance firms still require political connection, and vice versa?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 107-120.
    22. Wu, Fei & Hu, Yan & Shen, Me, 2024. "The color of FinTech: FinTech and corporate green transformation in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    23. Erel, Isil & Liebersohn, Jack, 2022. "Can FinTech reduce disparities in access to finance? Evidence from the Paycheck Protection Program," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(1), pages 90-118.
    24. Ting Yao & Liangrong Song, 2021. "Examining the differences in the impact of Fintech on the economic capital of commercial banks’ market risk: evidence from a panel system GMM analysis," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(23), pages 2647-2660, May.
    25. Xia, Li & Gao, Shuo & Wei, Jiuchang & Ding, Qiying, 2022. "Government subsidy and corporate green innovation - Does board governance play a role?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    26. Yu, Weizhen & Wang, Lu & Liu, Xiufen & Xie, Wenwu & Zhang, Minhui, 2024. "Can digital inclusive finance promote high-quality rural entrepreneurship? A county-level analysis from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    27. Li Wang & Hongyu Yang, 2024. "Digital technology innovation and corporate ESG performance: evidence from China," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 1-32, December.
    28. Liu, Zhuang & Li, Xingyi, 2024. "The impact of bank fintech on ESG greenwashing," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    29. Nenavath Sreenu, 2024. "Examining the dynamics of risk associated with green investment in India: a study on fintech and green bonds for clean energy production," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 52(3), pages 588-604, June.
    30. Fu, Tong & Qiu, Zhaoxuan & Yang, Xiangyang & Li, Zijun, 2024. "The impact of artificial intelligence on green technology cycles in China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    31. Bollaert, Helen & Lopez-de-Silanes, Florencio & Schwienbacher, Armin, 2021. "Fintech and access to finance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    32. Ding, Jinxiu & Li, Lingxue & Zhao, Jinsong, 2024. "How does fintech prompt corporations toward ESG sustainable development? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    33. Moacir Filho Godinho & Jéssica dos Santos Leite Gonella & Hengky Latan & Gilberto Miller Devos Ganga, 2024. "Awareness as a Catalyst for Sustainable Behaviors: A Theoretical Exploration of Planned Behavior and Value-Belief-Norms in the Circular Economy," Post-Print hal-04888407, HAL.
    34. Wu, Bangzheng & Yang, Weiguo, 2022. "Empirical test of the impact of the digital economy on China's employment structure," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    35. Guo, Bingnan & Wang, Yu & Zhang, Hao & Liang, Chunyan & Feng, Yu & Hu, Feng, 2023. "Impact of the digital economy on high-quality urban economic development: Evidence from Chinese cities," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    36. Li, Yuan & Chu, Erming & Nie, Shiqi & Peng, Xiaoyan & Yi, Yuyao, 2024. "Fintech, financing constraints and corporate green innovation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    37. Donseung Choi & Kevin L. James & Collins Emeka Okafor & Eunho Cho & Md Nazmul Hasan Bhuyan, 2022. "The effect of executives' education and compensation on firm value: evidence from China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(50), pages 5763-5781, October.
    38. Huang, Jiekun & Kisgen, Darren J., 2013. "Gender and corporate finance: Are male executives overconfident relative to female executives?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(3), pages 822-839.
    39. Mirzajani, Zahra & Nikoofal, Mohammad E. & Zolfaghari, Saeed, 2024. "Sustainable sourcing contracts under supplier capital constraints and information asymmetry," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    40. Hu, Guoqiang & Wang, Xiaoqi & Wang, Yu, 2021. "Can the green credit policy stimulate green innovation in heavily polluting enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shen, Ling & Yang, Xiaozhong & Ma, Guangcheng, 2025. "Can companies’ participation in ESG ratings improve green innovation efficiency? Evidence from Chinese A-share listed companies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chen, Xuchang & Zhang, Zhu, 2025. "Fintech development and corporate misconduct," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    2. Tang, Mengxuan & Hu, Yang & Hou, Yang (Greg) & Oxley, Les & Goodell, John W., 2025. "Fintech development, corporate tax avoidance and firm value," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    3. Ge, Wenfeng & Yang, Ping & Pan, Xu & Ran, Qiying, 2024. "Sustainable utilization of mining resources: Exploring the impact of FinTech on green development from the perspective of mining enterprises," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    4. Yan, Kai & Liu, Na & Shi, Lei & Yang, Lisi & Lu, Meiting, 2025. "How does FinTech enable the expansion of green innovation boundaries: Evidence from the interventions of China's environmental protection tax law," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Wan, Siyu & Lee, Yoong Hon & Sarma, Vengadeshvaran J., 2023. "Is Fintech good for green finance? Empirical evidence from listed banks in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1273-1291.
    6. Liu, Haiming & Hu, Jikong, 2025. "Bank Fintech and firm leverage adjustment speed: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    7. Liu, Xukang & Ma, Chao-Qun & Ren, Yi-Shuai, 2025. "ESG reactions to fintech: The role of cross-border capital flows," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    8. Yadav, Sanjeev & Samadhiya, Ashutosh & Kumar, Anil & Luthra, Sunil & Pandey, Krishan Kumar, 2024. "Nexus between fintech, green finance and natural resources management: Transition of BRICS nation industries from resource curse to resource blessed sustainable economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    9. Tian, Lichuan & Sun, Kai & Yang, Jie & Zhao, Yang, 2024. "Does digital economy affect corporate ESG performance? New insights from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PB), pages 964-980.
    10. Wang, Shaohui & Yong, Yanlan & Liu, Xizhang & Wang, Yunliang, 2024. "How Fintech mitigates credit mismatches to promote green innovation: Evidence from Chinese listed enterprises," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PB).
    11. Tiwari, Sunil, 2024. "Impact of Fintech on natural resources management: How financial impacts shape the association?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    12. Sun, Jiaojiao & Zhang, Chen & Zhang, Rongrong & Ji, Yuanpu & Ding, Jiajun, 2025. "Spillover dynamics and determinants between FinTech institutions and commercial banks based on the complex network and random forest fusion," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    13. Li, Yunzhong & Ye, Chengfang & Li, Mingxi & Shum, Wai Yan & Lai, Fujun, 2025. "Regional FinTech development and total factor productivity among firms: Evidence from China," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(PA).
    14. Zhonggang Yue & Kai Wang & Maokun Ye, 2024. "The impact of fintech on corporate innovation: mediating role of entrepreneurship," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 231-252, March.
    15. Arnone, Massimo & Leogrande, Angelo, 2024. "The Sustainability Of The Factoring Chain In Europe In The Light Of The Integration Of Esg Factors," OSF Preprints 753gf, Center for Open Science.
    16. Yu, Dan & Wang, Shenghu & Yi, Yuting & Ren, Yu, 2024. "The role of fintech, natural resources and trade policy uncertainty towards SDGs in China: New insights from nonlinear approach," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    17. Song, Yang & Pang, Xiaoqian & Zhang, Zhiyuan & Sahut, Jean-Michel, 2024. "Can the new energy demonstration city policy promote corporate green innovation capability?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    18. Liu, Haiming & Hu, Jikong, 2024. "The impact of bank fintech on corporate debt default," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    19. Wang, Xiaodong & Deng, Yunfeng & Mao, Xiaomeng, 2025. "The impact of bank digital transformation on enterprises digital technology innovation in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    20. Gao, Xiang & He, Xixi & Sun, Chuanwang & Wu, Dongmei & Zhang, Jie, 2025. "Innovation in shouldering green responsibility: ESG performance and green technology innovation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:142:y:2025:i:c:s0140988325000064. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.