Revolutionizing European digital exports: The intersection of global supply chains, green FinTech, and sustainable infrastructure

Reconciling economic growth with sustainability challenges is a pressing priority for the Eurozone’s digital revolution. This study addresses a key gap by examining how green FinTech, global supply chains, and sustainable infrastructure interact to foster digital trade in the OECD and Europe. This study constructs a 24-year panel dataset of 39 economies from 2000 to 2023 to achieve the study’s main objective. To efficiently explore this research objective, the study employs novel and robust approaches, firstly, to construct three indices: the global supply chain, sustainable infrastructure, and Green FinTech index via Machine-Learning Time Heterogeneous factor analysis. Secondly, the study employs a dynamic, robust Panel Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag model with a moderation-effect specification (P-QARDL-ME). The theoretical foundation draws on global value chain and sustainability theories to link the variables to the study’s overarching goals. The findings reveal that integration of global supply chains and green FinTech solutions significantly enhances digital trade. Whereas Sustainable infrastructure plays a pivotal role in digital trade, it significantly decouples economic growth from environmental pollution, thereby promoting sustainability across the Eurozone. Integrating these results with global value chain and sustainability theories offers meaningful policy insights for the European Union, the World Trade Organization, regulators, businesses, and policymakers. Overall, the study advocates for stakeholder engagement and cross-border digital trade to support sustainable economic growth.