IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v102y2025ics1059056025004769.html

Green bond issuance and corporate environmental and financial performance: A meta-analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Khan, Muhammad Arif
  • Vismara, Silvio

Abstract

Green bonds align corporations’ financial investments with their sustainability goals. This meta-analysis synthesizes 132 estimates of environmental outcomes and 108 estimates of financial outcomes to evaluate the impact of green bond issuance on corporate performance. We find that while green bonds positively affect environmental performance, their impact on financial performance is not consistently significant. Subgroup analyses reveal significant heterogeneity in the financial outcomes, influenced by factors such as geographic region, bond maturity, chosen financial metrics, and methodological variations across studies. In contrast, the positive effect on environmental performance appears more robust across diverse contexts. These findings highlight the need for harmonized standards to reduce market fragmentation. Furthermore, targeted policy interventions, such as subsidies and capacity-building initiatives, are crucial to offset the costs associated with green bond issuance and encourage broader adoption across market segments. This study provides insights for policymakers, investors, and stakeholders aiming to enhance the role of green bonds in advancing sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Khan, Muhammad Arif & Vismara, Silvio, 2025. "Green bond issuance and corporate environmental and financial performance: A meta-analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s1059056025004769
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2025.104313
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056025004769
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2025.104313?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. 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. Ying Liu & Hongyun Huang & William Mbanyele & Fengrong Wang & Huiling Liu, 2024. "Does the issuance of green bonds nudge environmental responsibility engagements? Evidence from the Chinese green bond market," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 10(1), pages 1-42, December.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Vishaal Baulkaran, 2019. "Stock market reaction to green bond issuance," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(5), pages 331-340, September.
    6. Christophe Revelli & Jean-Laurent Viviani, 2015. "Financial performance of socially responsible investing (SRI): what have we learned? A meta-analysis," Post-Print halshs-01141295, HAL.
    7. Epstein, Larry G. & Zin, Stanley E., 1990. "'First-order' risk aversion and the equity premium puzzle," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 387-407, December.
    8. Tang, Dragon Yongjun & Zhang, Yupu, 2020. "Do shareholders benefit from green bonds?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    9. Ulrich Atz & Tracy Van Holt & Zongyuan Zoe Liu & Christopher C. Bruno, 2023. "Does sustainability generate better financial performance? review, meta-analysis, and propositions," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(1), pages 802-825, January.
    10. Flammer, Caroline, 2021. "Corporate green bonds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 499-516.
    11. Dong, Hanmin & Zhang, Lin & Zheng, Huanhuan, 2024. "Green bonds: Fueling green innovation or just a fad?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    12. Jyotirani Gupta & Niladri Das, 2022. "Multidimensional corporate social responsibility disclosure and financial performance: A meta‐analytical review," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 731-748, July.
    13. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 2008. "Theory of the firm: managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," RAE - Revista de Administração de Empresas, FGV-EAESP Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil), vol. 48(2), April.
    14. Mohamed Amine Boutabba & Yves Rannou, 2022. "Investor strategies in the green bond market: The influence of liquidity risks, economic factors and clientele effects," Post-Print hal-03582603, HAL.
    15. Peng, Wei & Xiong, Langyu, 2022. "Managing financing costs and fostering green transition: The role of green financial policy in China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 820-836.
    16. John Y. Campbell & John Cochrane, 1999. "Force of Habit: A Consumption-Based Explanation of Aggregate Stock Market Behavior," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(2), pages 205-251, April.
    17. Moritz Immel & Britta Hachenberg & Florian Kiesel & Dirk Schiereck, 2022. "Green Bonds: Shades of Green and Brown," Springer Books, in: Marielle de Jong & Dan diBartolomeo (ed.), Risks Related to Environmental, Social and Governmental Issues (ESG), pages 21-34, Springer.
    18. Markus Hang & Jerome Geyer‐Klingeberg & Andreas Rathgeber & Stefan Stöckl, 2018. "Economic Development Matters: A Meta‐Regression Analysis on the Relation between Environmental Management and Financial Performance," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 22(4), pages 720-744, August.
    19. Badía, Guillermo & Cortez, Maria Céu & Silva, Florinda, 2024. "Do investors benefit from investing in stocks of green bond issuers?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 242(C).
    20. Larcker, David F. & Watts, Edward M., 2020. "Where's the greenium?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(2).
    21. Timo Busch & Gunnar Friede, 2018. "The Robustness of the Corporate Social and Financial Performance Relation: A Second‐Order Meta‐Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 583-608, July.
    22. Maria Jua Bachelet & Leonardo Becchetti & Stefano Manfredonia, 2019. "The Green Bonds Premium Puzzle: The Role of Issuer Characteristics and Third-Party Verification," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-22, February.
    23. My Hanh Doan & Remmer Sassen, 2020. "The relationship between environmental performance and environmental disclosure: A meta‐analysis," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(5), pages 1140-1157, October.
    24. Munir Khamis & Dalal Aassouli, 2023. "The Eligibility of Green Bonds as Safe Haven Assets: A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-27, April.
    25. T. D. Stanley, 2005. "Beyond Publication Bias," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(3), pages 309-345, July.
    26. Affolter, Beat & Ciarla, Elisa & Meyer, Julia & Sugandhita, Sugandhita, 2024. "Signaling sustainability: Differential reaction of the stock market following the announcement of sustainability-linked bonds," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    27. William Ocasio, 1997. "Towards An Attention‐Based View Of The Firm," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(S1), pages 187-206, July.
    28. ElBannan, Mona A. & Löffler, Gunter, 2024. "How effectively do green bonds help the environment?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    29. repec:eme:mfppss:mf-09-2020-0481 is not listed on IDEAS
    30. Khan, Muhammad Arif, 2022. "ESG disclosure and Firm performance: A bibliometric and meta analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    31. Boutabba, Mohamed Amine & Rannou, Yves, 2022. "Investor strategies in the green bond market: The influence of liquidity risks, economic factors and clientele effects," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    32. Monica Billio & Maurizio Murgia & Silvio Vismara, 2024. "Sustainable and Climate Finance: An Integrative Framework from Corporates to Markets and Society," Review of Corporate Finance, now publishers, vol. 4(1–2), pages 1-16, April.
    33. Michael Chletsos & Andreas Sintos, 2023. "Financial development and income inequality: A meta‐analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(4), pages 1090-1119, September.
    34. T.D. Stanley & Hristos Doucouliagos & Margaret Giles & Jost Heckemeyer & Robert Johnston & Patrice Laroche & Jon Nelson & Martin Paldam & Jacques Poot & Geoff Pugh & Randall Rosenberger & Katja Rost, 2013. "Meta-analysis of economics research reporting guidelines," Post-Print hal-02137661, HAL.
    35. Merton, Robert C, 1974. "On the Pricing of Corporate Debt: The Risk Structure of Interest Rates," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 29(2), pages 449-470, May.
    36. Lucas, Robert E, Jr, 1978. "Asset Prices in an Exchange Economy," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(6), pages 1429-1445, November.
    37. repec:bla:jfinan:v:59:y:2004:i:4:p:1481-1509 is not listed on IDEAS
    38. repec:hal:journl:hal-03586301 is not listed on IDEAS
    39. 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).
    40. 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.
    41. Kanamura, Takashi, 2025. "Stochastic behavior of green bond premiums," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    42. 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.
    43. Torsten Ehlers & Frank Packer, 2017. "Green bond finance and certification," BIS Quarterly Review, Bank for International Settlements, September.
    44. Pástor, Ľuboš & Stambaugh, Robert F. & Taylor, Lucian A., 2022. "Dissecting green returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(2), pages 403-424.
    45. Xiaoguang Zhou & Yadi Cui, 2019. "Green Bonds, Corporate Performance, and Corporate Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(23), pages 1-27, December.
    46. Zhang, Ran & Li, Yanru & Liu, Yingzhu, 2021. "Green bond issuance and corporate cost of capital," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    47. T.D. Stanley & Hristos Doucouliagos & Margaret Giles & Jost H. Heckemeyer & Robert J. Johnston & Patrice Laroche & Jon P. Nelson & Martin Paldam & Jacques Poot & Geoff Pugh & Randall S. Rosenberger & , 2013. "Meta-Analysis Of Economics Research Reporting Guidelines," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 390-394, April.
    48. Junwen Zhu & Weishu Liu, 2020. "A tale of two databases: the use of Web of Science and Scopus in academic papers," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 123(1), pages 321-335, April.
    49. Rizwan Ahmed & Fatima Yusuf & Maria Ishaque, 2024. "Green bonds as a bridge to the UN sustainable development goals on environment: A climate change empirical investigation," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 2428-2451, April.
    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. Ma, Luyao & Lv, Xin & Shen, Zhiyang & Yu, Chang & Zhang, Qingyi, 2026. "How green bonds influence corporate environmental behaviour: A heterogeneous analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    2. Guangtong Gu & Tiantian Zhao, 2025. "Research on the Impact of Carbon Market Pilot Policies on Corporate Information Transparency: Perspectives from External Supervision and Internal Demand," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.
    3. Liu Yichen & Kim Hyeongjun & Ryu Doojin, 2026. "How Do Stringent Climate Policies Influence Carbon Intensity and Profitability? Insights from the Chinese Market," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 20(1), pages 1-19.
    4. Ma, Haiyan & Luo, Guangyi & Li, Yuan & Jing, Huiting, 2026. "Do green bonds boost corporate investment efficiency? Evidence from China’s mandatory bond market," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 90(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. 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).
    2. Cotugno, Matteo & Fiorillo, Paolo & Monferrà, Stefano & Severini, Sabrina, 2025. "ESG incidents and corporate green bond market reaction," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    3. 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).
    4. 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.
    5. Lars Reitsema & Bert Scholtens, 2025. "The role of corporate green bonds in managing greenhouse gas emissions," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 178(8), pages 1-20, August.
    6. Li, Quan & Zhang, Kai & Wang, Li, 2022. "Where's the green bond premium? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    7. De Vincentiis, Paola & Abis, Danilo, 2025. "Non-identical twins: Evidence on greenium in the German treasury bond market," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    8. García, C. José & Herrero, Begoña & Miralles-Quirós, José Luis & del Mar Mirallles-Quirós, Maria, 2023. "Exploring the determinants of corporate green bond issuance and its environmental implication: The role of corporate board," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    9. Martijn Boermans, 2023. "Preferred habitat investors in the green bond market," Working Papers 773, DNB.
    10. Dutordoir, Marie & Li, Shuyu & Neto, João Quariguasi Frota, 2025. "When green is no longer a win - new evidence on the shareholder value effects of green bond offerings11The authors would like to thank Konstantinos Bozos, Samit Gupta, Antony Potter, Hai-Anh Tran, and participants at the 2023 British Academy of Manag," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    11. Wang, Shiqi & Wang, Yongqiao, 2026. "The impact of green bond issuances on green mergers and acquisitions of peer firms," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    12. Kocaarslan, Baris & Mushtaq, Rizwan, 2024. "The impact of liquidity conditions on the time-varying link between U.S. municipal green bonds and major risky markets during the COVID-19 crisis: A machine learning approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    13. Deng, Yang & Zhang, Zhaoqin, 2025. "The spillover effects of green bond issuance in peer firms’ financial performance," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(PA).
    14. 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.
    15. Akhtaruzzaman, Md & Banerjee, Ameet Kumar & Ghardallou, Wafa & Umar, Zaghum, 2022. "Is greenness an optimal hedge for sectoral stock indices?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    16. Vilija Aleknevičien&# & Asta Bendoraityt&#, 2023. "Role of Green Finance in Greening the Economy: Conceptual Approach," Central European Business Review, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2023(2), pages 105-130.
    17. Silva, Florinda & Ferreira, André & Cortez, Maria Céu, 2024. "The performance of green bond portfolios under climate uncertainty: A comparative analysis with conventional and black bond portfolios," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PA).
    18. Siddique, Md. Abubakar & Nobanee, Haitham & Hasan, Md. Bokhtiar & Uddin, Gazi Salah & Nahiduzzaman, Md., 2024. "Is investing in green assets costlier? Green vs. non-green financial assets," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1460-1481.
    19. Li, Chengming & Guo, Guanyu & Gu, Huangying & Dong, Xiaoqi, 2025. "How green bonds exert a demonstration effect on firms within the same region," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 117-136.
    20. Ghitti, Marco & Gianfrate, Gianfranco & Lopez-de-Silanes, Florencio & Spinelli, Marco, 2025. "What’s in a shade? The market relevance of green bonds’ external reviews," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(5).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • C18 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Methodolical Issues: General
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

    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:reveco:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s1059056025004769. 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/620165 .

    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.