IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/finlet/v74y2025ics1544612325000078.html

Digital transformation and corporate creditworthiness

Author

Listed:
  • Zhen, Xiaofei
  • Zhou, Yiyang

Abstract

Utilizing panel data from China's A-share listed companies spanning 2007 to 2022, this paper examines the effects of digital transformation on corporate creditworthiness, focusing on the underlying mechanisms at play. The findings of this study provide compelling evidence that digital transformation constitutes a significant driver of corporate creditworthiness enhancement. The mediation effect tests indicate that digital transformation enhances corporate creditworthiness through the improvement of internal control quality. The heterogeneity analysis shows that state-owned enterprises, high-tech firms, and companies facing intense market competition experience a greater positive impact on their creditworthiness from digital transformation.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhen, Xiaofei & Zhou, Yiyang, 2025. "Digital transformation and corporate creditworthiness," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:74:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325000078
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2025.106742
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1544612325000078
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.frl.2025.106742?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. Chen, Yufeng & Xu, Jing, 2023. "Digital transformation and firm cost stickiness: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    2. Zhang, Kai & Wan, Shan & Zhou, Yuehui, 2024. "Executive compensation, internal governance and ESG performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    3. Wang, Yaozhong & He, Pinzhen, 2024. "Enterprise digital transformation, financial information disclosure and innovation efficiency," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    4. Zhang, Xiang & Zhou, Han, 2022. "The effect of market competition on corporate cash holdings: An analysis of corporate innovation and financial constraint," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    5. Su, Yingliang & Wu, Jiahua, 2024. "Digital transformation and enterprise sustainable development," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    6. Li, Junjun & Wu, Tong & Liu, Bailu & Zhou, Ming, 2024. "Can digital transformation enhance corporate ESG performance? The moderating role of dual environmental regulations," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    7. Luo, Haowen, 2021. "Do firms chase trade credit target?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    8. Li, Zhigang & Xie, Bingyuan & Chen, Ximing & Fu, Qilong, 2024. "Corporate digital transformation, governance shifts and executive pay-performance sensitivity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    9. Qi, Ruijuan & Ma, Guowei & Liu, Chang & Zhang, Qiwen & Wang, Qianyi, 2024. "Enterprise digital transformation and supply chain resilience," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    10. Li, Min & Liu, Na & Kou, Aiju & Chen, Wenchuan, 2023. "Customer concentration and digital transformation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    11. Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Habib, Ahsan, 2019. "Social capital and trade credit," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 158-174.
    12. Maouchi, Youcef & Charfeddine, Lanouar & El Montasser, Ghassen, 2022. "Understanding digital bubbles amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from DeFi and NFTs," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    13. Ding, Jiantao & Yin, Yingkai & Kuang, Jinsong & Ding, Dezhi & Madsen, Dag.Øivind & Yang, Kunyu, 2024. "The impact of enterprise digital transformation on financial mismatch: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    14. Chen, Qianqian & Chen, Zhi, 2024. "Mandatory internal control audit and corporate financialization," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    15. Cui, Huijie & Zhou, Xue & Luo, Yonggen, 2023. "Digital transformation and bond credit spread," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    16. Huang, Qiongyu & Xu, Chuhong & Xue, Xiaolong & Zhu, Hui, 2023. "Can digital innovation improve firm performance: Evidence from digital patents of Chinese listed firms," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    17. Shi, Hongyu & Liu, Yu & Yang, Yaru, 2024. "Enterprise digital transformation and supply chain stability," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    18. Liu, Guangqiang & Liu, Boyang, 2023. "How digital technology improves the high-quality development of enterprises and capital markets: A liquidity perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    19. Wen, Huwei & Zhong, Qiming & Lee, Chien-Chiang, 2022. "Digitalization, competition strategy and corporate innovation: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing listed companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    20. Zhao, Tianyu & Yan, Na & Ji, Liya, 2023. "Digital transformation, life cycle and internal control effectiveness: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PA).
    21. Tian, Guangning & Li, Bo & Cheng, Yue, 2022. "Does digital transformation matter for corporate risk-taking?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    22. Wang, Haijun & Jiao, Shuaipeng & Bu, Kun & Wang, Yebin & Wang, Yaxian, 2023. "Digital transformation and manufacturing companies’ ESG responsibility performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PB).
    23. Aiping Wang & Rui Han, 2024. "Can digital transformation prohibit corporate fraud? Empirical evidence from China," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(16), pages 1505-1512, September.
    24. Li, Zongru & Zhang, Xiaohan & Tao, Zhe & Wang, Binbin, 2024. "Enterprise digital transformation and supply chain management," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    25. Liu, Jinjing & Wang, Hong, 2022. "Economic policy uncertainty and the cost of capital," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    26. Yang, Chao & Song, Di & Su, Yuhan, 2024. "The Low-carbon city pilot policy and trade credit financing: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    27. Li, Jingwen & Wang, Haoliang & Soh, WeiNi, 2024. "Digital transformation, financial literacy and rural household entrepreneurship," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    28. Lee, Sang Whi & Kwag, Seung-Woog (Austin) & Mullineaux, Donald J. & Park, Kwangwoo, 2010. "Financial distress, information asymmetry, and syndicate structure: Evidence from Japanese borrowers," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 119-126, June.
    29. Gao, Yihong, 2022. "Green credit policy and trade credit: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    30. Xu, Ting & Shen, Zhenni & Zhang, Hui & Zhang, Chenglong & Huang, Honglei, 2024. "Digital HP finance's role in the economic resilience of enterprises’ digital transformation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    31. Zhang, Haiyan & Dong, Shizheng, 2023. "Digital transformation and firms' total factor productivity: The role of internal control quality," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    32. Zhao, Zeru, 2024. "Digital Transformation and Enterprise Risk-Taking," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    33. Zhang, Chenrui & Wang, Yatong, 2024. "Is enterprise digital transformation beneficial to shareholders? Insights from the cost of equity capital," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    34. Jiang, Wenjuan & Wang, Xin, 2024. "Enterprise digital transformation empowers supply Chain stability," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(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. Zhou, Bing & Zhang, Linfeng & Yu, Fan, 2025. "A study on the impact of corporate executives' green perceptions on carbon disclosure," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    2. Jin, Deqing & Dongwen, Yu & Xiaofei, Guo, 2025. "Financial expertise vs. AI momentum: Why CFOs temper cross-border deals," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PB).

    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. Huang, Zhengzheng & Hao, Yanwei, 2025. "Changes in stock price synchronicity driven by digital transformation: The role of media attention and accounting conservatism," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    2. Zhang, Yuan & Li, Ying, 2025. "Enhancing innovation capabilities, digital management, and corporate competitiveness," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    3. Teng, Yuqiang & Du, Anna Min & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "The mechanism of supply chain efficiency in enterprise digital transformation and total factor productivity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    4. Wu, Weihong & Zhou, Hui & Huo, Zheng, 2025. "The effect of issuers’ digital transformation on bond rating quality: Evidence from China’s bond market," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Ma, Defang & Wang, Jindong & Zeng, Bo & Liu, Ying & Xie, Yuze, 2025. "Does digital transformation enhance financial flexibility?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    6. Ye, Xincai & Miao, Lin, 2025. "Digital transformation and green finance efficiency of tourism enterprises: The effect of credit ratings," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    7. Zhao, Qiao & Wang, Wangqing & Tao, Yingjia, 2025. "Supply chain sustainability and its impact on firm market competitiveness: A perspective based on ESG practices," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    8. Li, Shuquan & Kong, Xiangcai & Ianenko, Marina & Wang, Wentao, 2025. "The impact of digital transformation on enterprise supply chain finance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    9. Lei, Wei & Tang, Kaitao & Shao, Jingfeng & Ran, Feng, 2024. "Digital transformation, supply chain finance, and enterprise innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    10. Chen, Guangren & Yu, Zuwei, 2024. "Digital finance, value cocreation, and supply chain resilience: Evidence from listed manufacturing firms in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    11. Xiaofei Jia & Lichao Lin & Ziling Huang, 2025. "Transformative forces: how capital intensity and technological innovation shape digital evolution in Chinese enterprises," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 15(4), pages 1205-1224, December.
    12. Yang, Lian-Xing & Zhang, Yin-Ting & Chen, Mo-Lei, 2025. "Impact of temperature variability on supply chain resilience in China: Mechanisms and insights," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    13. Zheng, Deyuan & Song, Hang & Zhao, Chunguang & Liu, Yujiao & Zhao, Wenhao, 2024. "Is it possible for semiconductor companies to reduce carbon emissions through digital transformation? Evidence from China," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    14. Zhou, Wenxiao & Song, Yi & Xu, Deyi & Zhang, Yijun, 2025. "Government subsidies and industrial chain resilience: Evidence from Chinese resource-based enterprises," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    15. Zheng, Mengze & Wang, Rui & Ye, Jing & Li, Te, 2025. "How does supply chain finance enhance firms' supply chain resilience?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    16. Wang, Pengmian & Zhao, Tao, 2024. "Impact of population aging on corporate digital transformation strategies: An empirical investigation based on population census data from various provinces in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    17. Xu, Xinkuo & Liu, Qianyu, 2025. "Transformation of innovation in heavily polluting enterprises under resource constraints: The role of green finance policy," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    18. Zhang, Juan & Miao, Xiaoming & Shang, Tiantian, 2025. "Impact mechanism of digital transformation on supply chain resilience," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    19. An, Qiguang & Wang, Yongkai & Liu, Feini & Wang, Ruoyu, 2025. "Does the integration of digital and real economies enhance corporate supply chain resilience? Evidence from China’s listed firms," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    20. Guo, Long & Cai, Can & Yang, Debin & Zhou, Zibu, 2025. "Executive compensation disparity and corporate operational performance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

    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:finlet:v:74:y:2025:i:c:s1544612325000078. 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/frl .

    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.