IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i19p8748-d1761044.html

FinTech-Driven Corporate Sustainability: A Technology–Organization–Environment Framework Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Guosong Wang

    (School of Economics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, China)

  • Huizhen Zhang

    (School of Economics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 201800, China)

Abstract

At the intersection of the digital economy and sustainable development, FinTech emerges as a pivotal force reshaping corporate operations. However, existing research lacks a systemic analysis of how technology, organizational synergy, and environmental factors jointly drive corporate sustainability. Building on this, this study employs the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework to analyze panel data from China’s A-share non-financial listed companies (2012–2022). Our findings reveal the following: (1) FinTech directly enhances corporate sustainability and indirectly does so through supply chain finance (33.30% mediation effect). (2) Digital infrastructure and marketization level amplify FinTech’s impact, with effects 52.27% stronger in high-marketization regions and 48.84% stronger in regions with advanced digital infrastructure. (3) Heterogeneity analysis indicates the positive impact is more pronounced for enterprises with higher digital transformation maturity, those in technology-intensive industries, and those located in eastern China. These results offer policymakers and enterprises a systemic framework and empirical evidence to co-design FinTech-enabled sustainable development strategies, emphasizing cross-sector collaboration and region-specific interventions.

Suggested Citation

  • Guosong Wang & Huizhen Zhang, 2025. "FinTech-Driven Corporate Sustainability: A Technology–Organization–Environment Framework Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-28, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8748-:d:1761044
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8748/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8748/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Asli Demirgüç-Kunt & Leora Klapper & Dorothe Singer & Saniya Ansar & Jake Hess, 2020. "The Global Findex Database 2017: Measuring Financial Inclusion and Opportunities to Expand Access to and Use of Financial Services," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 34(Supplemen), pages 2-8.
    2. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Tang, Manting & Lee, Chi-Chuan, 2023. "Reaping digital dividends: Digital inclusive finance and high-quality development of enterprises in China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(2).
    3. Qun Zhao & Pei-Hsuan Tsai & Jin-Long Wang, 2019. "Improving Financial Service Innovation Strategies for Enhancing China’s Banking Industry Competitive Advantage during the Fintech Revolution: A Hybrid MCDM Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-29, March.
    4. Mu, Weiwei & Liu, Kefu & Tao, Yunqing & Ye, Yongwei, 2023. "Digital finance and corporate ESG," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    5. Ding, Na & Gu, Leilei & Peng, Yuchao, 2022. "Fintech, financial constraints and innovation: Evidence from China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    6. Peterson K. Ozili, 2018. "Impact of digital finance on financial inclusion and stability," Borsa Istanbul Review, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 18(4), pages 329-340, December.
    7. Xu, Xinhan & Chen, Xiangfeng & Jia, Fu & Brown, Steve & Gong, Yu & Xu, Yifan, 2018. "Supply chain finance: A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 160-173.
    8. Ayse Demir & Vanesa Pesqué-Cela & Yener Altunbas & Victor Murinde, 2022. "Fintech, financial inclusion and income inequality: a quantile regression approach," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 86-107, January.
    9. Thi H.H. Nguyen & Mohamed H. Elmagrhi & Collins G. Ntim & Yue Wu, 2021. "Environmental performance, sustainability, governance and financial performance: Evidence from heavily polluting industries in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 2313-2331, July.
    10. Yu, Mingzhe & Deng, Xin, 2021. "The Inheritance of Marketization Level and Regional Human Capital Accumulation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    11. Steve Evans & Doroteya Vladimirova & Maria Holgado & Kirsten Van Fossen & Miying Yang & Elisabete A. Silva & Claire Y. Barlow, 2017. "Business Model Innovation for Sustainability: Towards a Unified Perspective for Creation of Sustainable Business Models," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 597-608, July.
    12. Ren, Siyu & Hao, Yu & Xu, Lu & Wu, Haitao & Ba, Ning, 2021. "Digitalization and energy: How does internet development affect China's energy consumption?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    13. Awais, Minahil & Afzal, Ayesha & Firdousi, Saba & Hasnaoui, Amir, 2023. "Is fintech the new path to sustainable resource utilisation and economic development?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    14. Bao, Zhengyang & Huang, Difang, 2021. "Shadow Banking in a Crisis: Evidence from Fintech During COVID-19," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 56(7), pages 2320-2355, November.
    15. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    16. Ma, Dan & Zhu, Qing, 2022. "Innovation in emerging economies: Research on the digital economy driving high-quality green development," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 801-813.
    17. Yan Xue & Caidong Jiang & Yunxia Guo & Jianmin Liu & Haitao Wu & Yu Hao, 2022. "Corporate Social Responsibility and High-quality Development: Do Green Innovation, Environmental Investment and Corporate Governance Matter?," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(11), pages 3191-3214, September.
    18. Christian Haddad & Lars Hornuf, 2019. "The emergence of the global fintech market: economic and technological determinants," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(1), pages 81-105, June.
    19. Chenyang Meng & Yu Peng & Jiaxin Zhang & Jinjin Chen, 2025. "How Fintech Impacts Enterprises’ Digital–Green Synergy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(12), pages 1-19, June.
    20. Iñaki Heras‐Saizarbitoria & Laida Urbieta & Olivier Boiral, 2022. "Organizations' engagement with sustainable development goals: From cherry‐picking to SDG‐washing?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(2), pages 316-328, March.
    21. Chen, Xihui & You, Xuyuan & Chang, Victor, 2021. "FinTech and commercial banks' performance in China: A leap forward or survival of the fittest?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    22. 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.
    23. Chen, Xiaohui & Teng, Lei & Chen, Wen, 2022. "How does FinTech affect the development of the digital economy? Evidence from China," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    24. Zhang, Weike & Fan, Hongxia & Zhao, Qiwei, 2023. "Seeing green: How does digital infrastructure affect carbon emission intensity?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PB).
    25. Yu, Yiyong & Cheng, Li & Zhang, Danni, 2024. "How does market competition affect enterprise cooperative innovation? The moderating role of intellectual property protection and government subsidies," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    26. Xiaofang Jia & Baojian Xie & Xingan Wang, 2024. "The impact of network infrastructure on enterprise digital transformation ——A quasi-natural experiment from the “broadband China” Strategy," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(12), pages 1363-1380, March.
    27. Bresnahan, Timothy F. & Trajtenberg, M., 1995. "General purpose technologies 'Engines of growth'?," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 83-108, January.
    28. Ozili, Peterson Kitakogelu, 2018. "Impact of Digital Finance on Financial Inclusion and Stability," MPRA Paper 84771, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    29. Gerard Hoberg & Vojislav Maksimovic, 2015. "Redefining Financial Constraints: A Text-Based Analysis," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 28(5), pages 1312-1352.
    30. Ji, Yu & Shi, Lina & Zhang, Shunming, 2022. "Digital finance and corporate bankruptcy risk: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    31. Buchak, Greg & Matvos, Gregor & Piskorski, Tomasz & Seru, Amit, 2018. "Fintech, regulatory arbitrage, and the rise of shadow banks," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(3), pages 453-483.
    32. Robert G. Eccles & Ioannis Ioannou & George Serafeim, 2014. "The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(11), pages 2835-2857, November.
    33. Capponi, Giovanna & Martinelli, Arianna & Nuvolari, Alessandro, 2022. "Breakthrough innovations and where to find them," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    34. Soni, Gunjan & Kumar, Satish & Mahto, Raj V. & Mangla, Sachin K. & Mittal, M.L. & Lim, Weng Marc, 2022. "A decision-making framework for Industry 4.0 technology implementation: The case of FinTech and sustainable supply chain finance for SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    35. S.A. Lippman & R.P. Rumelt, 1982. "Uncertain Imitability: An Analysis of Interfirm Differences in Efficiency under Competition," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 13(2), pages 418-438, Autumn.
    36. Hu, Yucai & Ren, Shenggang & Wang, Yangjie & Chen, Xiaohong, 2020. "Can carbon emission trading scheme achieve energy conservation and emission reduction? Evidence from the industrial sector in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    37. Zhi-Chao Wang & Chang-Qi Tao & Ye Xu, 2025. "Can higher marketization improve the level of entrepreneurship? - Evidence from China's negative list for market access," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 1-25, December.
    38. Fu, Chao & Luo, Dianying & Zhang, Jiaoshu & Li, Wenxia, 2025. "Tax incentives, marketization level, and corporate digital transformation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    39. Tsan-Ming Choi, 2023. "Supply chain financing using blockchain: impacts on supply chains selling fashionable products," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 331(1), pages 393-415, December.
    40. Wang, Lianghu & Shao, Jun, 2024. "The energy saving effects of digital infrastructure construction: Empirical evidence from Chinese industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    41. Luo, Sumei & Sun, Yongkun & Yang, Fan & Zhou, Guangyou, 2022. "Does fintech innovation promote enterprise transformation? Evidence from China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    42. Xiuping Hua & Yiping Huang, 2021. "Understanding China’s fintech sector: development, impacts and risks," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(4-5), pages 321-333, March.
    43. Tang, Chang & Xu, Yuanyuan & Hao, Yu & Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan, 2021. "What is the role of telecommunications infrastructure construction in green technology innovation? A firm-level analysis for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    44. Chatterjee, Sheshadri & Rana, Nripendra P. & Dwivedi, Yogesh K. & Baabdullah, Abdullah M., 2021. "Understanding AI adoption in manufacturing and production firms using an integrated TAM-TOE model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    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. Choudhary, Priya & Thenmozhi, M., 2024. "Fintech and financial sector: ADO analysis and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    2. 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).
    3. Ge, Wenfeng & Yang, Xu & Yang, Xiaodong & Pan, Xu & Ran, Qiying, 2025. "How does Fintech drive corporate climate information risk disclosure? New evidence from China's A-share listed companies," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    4. Avani Raval & Rajesh Desai, 2024. "Reviews and directions of FinTech research: bibliometric–content analysis approach," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(3), pages 1115-1134, September.
    5. Hasan, Morshadul & Hoque, Ariful & Abedin, Mohammad Zoynul & Gasbarro, Dominic, 2024. "FinTech and sustainable development: A systematic thematic analysis using human- and machine-generated processing," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PC).
    6. Sujeeth Ungratwar & Dipasha Sharma & Satish Kumar, 2025. "Mapping the digital banking landscape: a multi-dimensional exploration of fintech, digital payments, and e-wallets, with insights into current scenarios and future research," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Jiamin Liu & Xiaoyu Ma & Bin Zhao & Qi Cui & Sisi Zhang & Jiaoning Zhang, 2023. "Mandatory Environmental Regulation, Enterprise Labor Demand and Green Innovation Transformation: A Quasi-Experiment from China’s New Environmental Protection Law," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-31, July.
    8. Xiujin Guo & Zhengming Wang, 2024. "How does the digital economy affect the green development of China’s industry?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(9), pages 1-21, September.
    9. 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).
    10. Pandey, Dharen Kumar & Hassan, M.Kabir & Kumari, Vineeta & Zaied, Younes Ben & Rai, Varun Kumar, 2024. "Mapping the landscape of FinTech in banking and finance: A bibliometric review," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    11. Shang Xiang & Lingjie Deng & Zhongbao Zhou & Zhongqingyang Zhang, 2024. "Digital Finance, ESG Performance, and Financial Performance in Chinese Firm Levels: The Pathway to Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-21, September.
    12. Dao Ha & Phuong Le & Duc Khuong Nguyen, 2025. "Financial inclusion and fintech: a state-of-the-art systematic literature review," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 1-42, December.
    13. Yan, Kai & Zhang, Ziyi & Yang, Lisi & Cao, Yuqiang & Shan, Yaowen, 2024. "Capital generates green: Evidence from China's national innovation system policy," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    14. Carè, Rosella & Boitan, Iustina Alina & Stoian, Andreea Maria & Fatima, Rabia, 2025. "Exploring the landscape of financial inclusion through the lens of financial technologies: A review," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    15. Zhang, Dongyang, 2023. "Can digital finance empowerment reduce extreme ESG hypocrisy resistance to improve green innovation?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    16. Yanfang Wang & Bin Zhang & Haifeng Hu, 2026. "How does FinTech development impact technological progress? A theoretical framework and empirical evidence," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 12(1), pages 1-46, December.
    17. Jiyuan Zhang & Shirong Zhao & Guangshun Qiao, 2026. "Fintech and bank efficiency: a robust nonparametric approach for Chinese commercial banks," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 65(1), pages 1-21, March.
    18. 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).
    19. Li, Yi & Liu, Christy Ying Ni & Lao, Ut & Dang, Jiangtong, 2024. "Navigating the path to environmental sustainability: Exploring the role of fintech, natural resources and green energy in Belt and Road countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    20. Marian Ilie Siminică & Gabriela Badareu & Daniel Cîrciumaru & Silviu Cârstina & Mirela Cristea, 2025. "Fintech Between Revolution and Evolution: Trends and Academic Contributions in a Bibliometric Analysis," Journal of Financial Studies, Institute of Financial Studies, vol. 10(17), pages 211-239, May.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8748-:d:1761044. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.