IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finana/v101y2025ics105752192500095x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do green bonds have an advantage in information disclosure?

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Rongnan
  • Zhou, Qi
  • Xu, Weijun

Abstract

This study examines the rapid development of China's green bond market by leveraging semisupervised machine learning and text analysis methods. Using data on green bonds issued in mainland China from 2016 to 2021, the analysis highlights key differences in innovation disclosure between green and conventional bonds. Findings show that green bonds disclose green information-related at significantly higher levels—by 15 %—compared with conventional bonds, indicating a clear disclosure advantage. This advantage is notably stronger in bonds with third-party green certifications and a higher proportion of green project investments, underscoring the critical role of green attributes in shaping disclosure practices. The study further identifies heightened disclosure in bonds issued by nonstate-owned enterprises, firms operating in regions with supportive green bond policies, heavily polluting industries, and areas with more advanced financial development. Economic consequence tests reveal that enhanced green information disclosure positively impacts excess stock returns, reduces information asymmetry, and increases investor attention. These findings provide valuable insights for refining the institutional framework of the green bond market and advancing the development of a robust green financial system.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Rongnan & Zhou, Qi & Xu, Weijun, 2025. "Do green bonds have an advantage in information disclosure?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finana:v:101:y:2025:i:c:s105752192500095x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105752192500095X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.irfa.2025.104008?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 search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Malcolm Baker & Daniel Bergstresser & George Serafeim & Jeffrey Wurgler, 2018. "Financing the Response to Climate Change: The Pricing and Ownership of U.S. Green Bonds," NBER Working Papers 25194, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Rongnan Li & Zhongfei Li & Kexin Hu & Kai Gan, 2024. "The spillover effects of green bond issuance: a study based on Chinese firms’ stock price synchronicity," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 1-41, February.
    3. Kim, Jeong-Bon & Li, Yinghua & Zhang, Liandong, 2011. "Corporate tax avoidance and stock price crash risk: Firm-level analysis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(3), pages 639-662, June.
    4. Chen, Ming & Li, Zhongfei & Liu, Zhuang, 2024. "Substantive response or strategic response? The induced green innovation effects of carbon prices," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    5. Martin, Patrick R. & Moser, Donald V., 2016. "Managers’ green investment disclosures and investors’ reaction," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 239-254.
    6. Hutton, Amy P. & Marcus, Alan J. & Tehranian, Hassan, 2009. "Opaque financial reports, R2, and crash risk," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1), pages 67-86, October.
    7. Zhao, Qi & Xu, Weijun & Ji, Yucheng, 2023. "Predicting financial distress of Chinese listed companies using machine learning: To what extent does textual disclosure matter?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    8. Kai Li & Feng Mai & Rui Shen & Xinyan Yan, 2021. "Measuring Corporate Culture Using Machine Learning," NBER Chapters, in: Big Data: Long-Term Implications for Financial Markets and Firms, pages 3265-3315, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Rongnan Li & Zhuang Liu & Kai Gan, 2024. "Impact of cities’ issuance of green bonds on local firm performance: evidence from China," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1-30, September.
    10. Wang, Jiazhen & Chen, Xin & Li, Xiaoxia & Yu, Jing & Zhong, Rui, 2020. "The market reaction to green bond issuance: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    11. Pan, Zhijie & Zheng, Yanting & Xu, Dandan & Wang, Ting, 2024. "How green screening influences risk transmission among stock-bond indices: Insight into the dependence structure," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).
    12. Zerbib, Olivier David, 2019. "The effect of pro-environmental preferences on bond prices: Evidence from green bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 39-60.
    13. Caleb Rawson, 2022. "Correction to: Manager perception and proprietary investment disclosure," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 1526-1526, December.
    14. Mark P. Sharfman & Chitru S. Fernando, 2008. "Environmental risk management and the cost of capital," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 569-592, June.
    15. Sun, Chenhe & Ji, Yinuo & Chen, Zhenyun, 2023. "Insider selling and credit spread of corporate bonds1," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PB).
    16. Tang, Dragon Yongjun & Zhang, Yupu, 2020. "Do shareholders benefit from green bonds?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    17. Flammer, Caroline, 2021. "Corporate green bonds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 499-516.
    18. Caleb Rawson, 2022. "Manager perception and proprietary investment disclosure," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 1493-1525, December.
    19. Kuang, Chun & Liu, Zijie & Zhu, Wenyu, 2021. "Need for speed: High-speed rail and firm performance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    20. Li Cai & Jinhua Cui & Hoje Jo, 2016. "Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 563-594, December.
    21. Kothari, S.P. & Leone, Andrew J. & Wasley, Charles E., 2005. "Performance matched discretionary accrual measures," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 163-197, February.
    22. Fan, Ruixin & Xiong, Xiong & Li, Youwei & Gao, Ya, 2023. "Do green bonds affect stock returns and corporate environmental performance? Evidence from China," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    23. Li, Rongnan & Liu, Zhuang & Li, Shun & Geng, Jiao & Shi, Guanqun & Gu, Xiao, 2023. "Geopolitical risk, green finance and natural resources: A novel analysis of China's national level data," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PB).
    24. Dong, Xiao & Yu, Mingzhe, 2024. "Green bond issuance and green innovation: Evidence from China's energy industry," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    25. Kai Li & Feng Mai & Rui Shen & Xinyan Yan, 2021. "Measuring Corporate Culture Using Machine Learning [Machine learning methods that economists should know about]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(7), pages 3265-3315.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Yang, Minhua & Ma, Linkun & Gu, Yan & Wu, Wenfeng, 2025. "The impacts of green bonds on the green innovation: Evidence from the corporate green transformation in China," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    2. Rongnan Li & Zhuang Liu & Kai Gan, 2024. "Impact of cities’ issuance of green bonds on local firm performance: evidence from China," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1-30, September.
    3. Ruan, Qingsong & Li, Chengyu & Lv, Dayong & Wei, Xiaokun, 2025. "Going Green: Effect of green bond issuance on corporate debt financing costs," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 75(PA).
    4. Hu, Xiaolu & Zhong, Angel & Cao, Youdan, 2022. "Greenium in the Chinese corporate bond market," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    5. Jiang, Kangqi & Chen, Zhongfei & Chen, Fanglin, 2022. "Green creates value: Evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    6. Su, Tong & Lin, Boqiang, 2022. "The liquidity impact of Chinese green bonds spreads," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 318-334.
    7. Li, Quan & Zhang, Kai & Wang, Li, 2022. "Where's the green bond premium? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    8. Huang, Chih-Yueh & Dekker, David & Christopoulos, Dimitrios, 2023. "Rethinking greenium: A quadratic function of yield spread," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    9. Baldi, Francesco & Pandimiglio, Alessandro, 2022. "The role of ESG scoring and greenwashing risk in explaining the yields of green bonds: A conceptual framework and an econometric analysis," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    10. Román Ferrer & Rafael Benítez & Vicente J. Bolós, 2021. "Interdependence between Green Financial Instruments and Major Conventional Assets: A Wavelet-Based Network Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-20, April.
    11. Su, Tong & Zhang, Zuopeng (Justin) & Lin, Boqiang, 2022. "Green bonds and conventional financial markets in China: A tale of three transmission modes," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    12. Huo, Xiaolin & Jiang, Dayan & Qiu, Zhigang & Yang, Sijie, 2022. "The impacts of dual carbon goals on asset prices in China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. Muñiz, José Antonio & Larkin, Charles & Corbet, Shaen, 2025. "Understanding the use of unconventional monetary policy for portfolio decarbonisation in Europe," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    14. Jun Lian & Xuanshun Huang & Xia Wu, 2024. "How green bonds promote firms' green collaborative innovation?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 2109-2126, May.
    15. Pham, Linh & Cepni, Oguzhan, 2022. "Extreme directional spillovers between investor attention and green bond markets," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 186-210.
    16. Samuel Mutarindwa & Dorothea Schäfer & Andreas Stephan, 2024. "Certification against greenwashing in nascent bond markets: lessons from African ESG bonds," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 14(1), pages 149-173, March.
    17. Serena Fatica & Roberto Panzica, 2021. "Green bonds as a tool against climate change?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2688-2701, July.
    18. Tan, Xiujie & Dong, Hanmin & Liu, Yishuang & Su, Xin & Li, Zixian, 2022. "Green bonds and corporate performance: A potential way to achieve green recovery," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 59-68.
    19. Rahman, Sohanur & Sinnewe, Elisabeth & Chapple, Larelle, 2024. "Environment-specific political risk discourse and expected crash risk: The role of political activism," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
    20. Lin, Boqiang & Su, Tong, 2022. "Green bond vs conventional bond: Outline the rationale behind issuance choices in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).

    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:finana:v:101:y:2025:i:c:s105752192500095x. 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/inca/620166 .

    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.