IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/iecepo/v22y2025i2d10.1007_s10368-025-00653-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Trade credit and global value chains

Author

Listed:
  • Ngoc Thang Doan

    (Banking Academy of Vietnam)

  • Huong Giang Mai

    (Banking Academy of Vietnam)

Abstract

This research paper investigates the impact of trade credit (TC) on the engagement of countries in global value chains (GVCs) using a dataset of 103,231 country-pair observations spanning 75 countries from 1996 to 2020. GVC participation is measured by value-added components in exports, drawn from the OECD TiVA 2023 database, while TC is proxied using trade credit and advances data from the IMF Balance of Payments (BOP) accounts. A revised version of the standard gravity model is employed to analyze how TC extended by trading partners facilitates deeper integration into GVCs. Our rigorous analysis, supported by a series of robustness tests, reveals that TC positively influences both backward and forward participation in GVCs. These effects are primarily mediated through mechanisms such as cost reductions and the alleviation of information asymmetry. The findings highlight the critical role of financial mechanisms like trade credit in enhancing global trade relationships and economic integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Ngoc Thang Doan & Huong Giang Mai, 2025. "Trade credit and global value chains," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 1-32, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:iecepo:v:22:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10368-025-00653-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10368-025-00653-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10368-025-00653-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10368-025-00653-z?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. Lin, Tsung-Te & Chou, Jian-Hsin, 2015. "Trade credit and bank loan: Evidence from Chinese firms," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 17-29.
    2. Katharina Eck & Martina Engemann & Monika Schnitzer, 2015. "How trade credits foster exporting," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 151(1), pages 73-101, February.
    3. Kalina Manova, 2013. "Credit Constraints, Heterogeneous Firms, and International Trade," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 80(2), pages 711-744.
    4. Iacovone, Leonardo & Ferro, Esteban & Pereira-López, Mariana & Zavacka, Veronika, 2019. "Banking crises and exports: Lessons from the past," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 192-204.
    5. Raddatz, Claudio, 2006. "Liquidity needs and vulnerability to financial underdevelopment," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(3), pages 677-722, June.
    6. Zeng, Shuai & Luo, Changyuan & Zhao, Laixun, 2023. "Destination trade credit and exports: Evidence from cross-country panel data," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    7. Heikki Peura & S. Alex Yang & Guoming Lai, 2017. "Trade Credit in Competition: A Horizontal Benefit," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 19(2), pages 263-289, May.
    8. Ernest Christlieb Amrago & Nicholas Oppong Mensah, 2022. "Trade credit from agrochemical vendors as an alternative source of finance for cabbage producers in the Bono East Region of Ghana," Agricultural Finance Review, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 83(1), pages 43-82, April.
    9. James E. Anderson & Eric van Wincoop, 2003. "Gravity with Gravitas: A Solution to the Border Puzzle," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(1), pages 170-192, March.
    10. Karolina Ekholm & Rikard Forslid & James R. Markusen, 2021. "Export-Platform Foreign Direct Investment," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: BROADENING TRADE THEORY Incorporating Market Realities into Traditional Models, chapter 6, pages 111-130, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    11. Petersen, Mitchell A & Rajan, Raghuram G, 1997. "Trade Credit: Theories and Evidence," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 10(3), pages 661-691.
    12. Raymond Fisman & Inessa Love, 2003. "Trade Credit, Financial Intermediary Development, and Industry Growth," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(1), pages 353-374, February.
    13. Pol Antràs & C. Fritz Foley, 2015. "Poultry in Motion: A Study of International Trade Finance Practices," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 123(4), pages 853-901.
    14. Mike Burkart & Tore Ellingsen, 2004. "In-Kind Finance: A Theory of Trade Credit," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 569-590, June.
    15. Pol Antràs & Robert W. Staiger, 2012. "Offshoring and the Role of Trade Agreements," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(7), pages 3140-3183, December.
    16. Raymond Fisman & Mayank Raturi, 2004. "Does Competition Encourage Credit Provision? Evidence from African Trade Credit Relationships," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(1), pages 345-352, February.
    17. Choi, Moon Jung & Hwang, Sangyeon & Im, Hyejoon, 2022. "Cross-border trade credit and trade flows during the global financial crisis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 497-510.
    18. Egger, Peter H. & Tarlea, Filip, 2015. "Multi-way clustering estimation of standard errors in gravity models," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 144-147.
    19. Dedola, Luca & Lippi, Francesco, 2005. "The monetary transmission mechanism: Evidence from the industries of five OECD countries," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(6), pages 1543-1569, August.
    20. Michael Machokoto & Daniel Gyimah & Boulis Maher Ibrahim, 2022. "The evolution of trade credit: new evidence from developed versus developing countries," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(3), pages 857-912, October.
    21. Mateut, Simona, 2014. "Reverse trade credit or default risk? Explaining the use of prepayments by firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 303-326.
    22. Mary Amiti & David E. Weinstein, 2011. "Exports and Financial Shocks," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 126(4), pages 1841-1877.
    23. Doan, Ngoc Thang & Vu, Thi Kim Chi & Nguyen, Thi Cam Thuy & Nguyen, Thi Hong Hai & Nguyen, Kieu Trang, 2020. "Cash-in-advance, export decision and financial constraints: Evidence from cross-country firm-level data," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 75-92.
    24. Vicente Cuñat, 2007. "Trade Credit: Suppliers as Debt Collectors and Insurance Providers," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 20(2), pages 491-527.
    25. Chad Fiechter & Jennifer Ifft, 2023. "Trade credit and agricultural commodity prices: evidence from the us dairy industry," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 50(2), pages 529-562.
    26. Se-Jik Kim & Hyun Song Shin, 2012. "Sustaining Production Chains through Financial Linkages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(3), pages 402-406, May.
    27. Love, Inessa & Preve, Lorenzo A. & Sarria-Allende, Virginia, 2007. "Trade credit and bank credit: Evidence from recent financial crises," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 453-469, February.
    28. Nida Rahman & Mohd Nayyer Rahman & Muganda Munir Manini & Krishan Sharma, 2024. "Determinants of global value chain participation in regional trade agreements: the case of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 51(1), pages 111-134, March.
    29. Klapper, Leora, 2006. "The role of factoring for financing small and medium enterprises," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(11), pages 3111-3130, November.
    30. Hummels, David & Ishii, Jun & Yi, Kei-Mu, 2001. "The nature and growth of vertical specialization in world trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 75-96, June.
    31. Stefano Filomeni & Michele Modina & Elena Tabacco, 2023. "Trade credit and firm investments: empirical evidence from Italian cooperative banks," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 60(3), pages 1099-1141, April.
    32. Ishmael Tingbani & Godfred Adjapong Afrifa & Venancio Tauringana & Collins Ntim, 2024. "Trade credit and corporate growth," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(1), pages 206-228, January.
    33. JaeBin Ahn & Miguel Sarmiento, 2019. "Estimating the direct impact of bank liquidity shocks on the real economy: Evidence from letter‐of‐credit import transactions in Colombia," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 1510-1536, November.
    34. Rudolfs Bems & Robert C. Johnson & Kei-Mu Yi, 2013. "The Great Trade Collapse," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 5(1), pages 375-400, May.
    35. Chor, Davin & Manova, Kalina, 2012. "Off the cliff and back? Credit conditions and international trade during the global financial crisis," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 117-133.
    36. Ferrando, Annalisa & Mulier, Klaas, 2013. "Do firms use the trade credit channel to manage growth?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 3035-3046.
    37. Balázs Égert & Ronald MacDonald, 2009. "Monetary Transmission Mechanism In Central And Eastern Europe: Surveying The Surveyable," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(2), pages 277-327, April.
    38. Thang, Doan Ngoc & Ha, Le Thanh, 2022. "Trade credit and global value chain: Evidence from cross-country firm-level data," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 110-129.
    39. Marc Auboin & Martina Engemann, 2014. "Testing the trade credit and trade link: evidence from data on export credit insurance," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 150(4), pages 715-743, November.
    40. Demir, FIrat & Dahi, Omar S., 2011. "Asymmetric effects of financial development on South-South and South-North trade: Panel data evidence from emerging markets," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1), pages 139-149, January.
    41. Heping Chen & Chunjie Qi, 2022. "The Trade Effect of Trust: Evidence from Agricultural Trade between China and Its Partners," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-22, January.
    42. Eva Spring & Volker Grossmann, 2016. "Does bilateral trust across countries really affect international trade and factor mobility?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 103-136, February.
    43. Jason Dedrick & Kenneth L. Kraemer & Greg Linden, 2010. "Who profits from innovation in global value chains? A study of the iPod and notebook PCs," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 19(1), pages 81-116, February.
    44. Laura Alfaro & Maggie Xiaoyang Chen, 2012. "Surviving the Global Financial Crisis: Foreign Ownership and Establishment Performance," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 4(3), pages 30-55, August.
    45. Minetti, Raoul & Zhu, Susan Chun, 2011. "Credit constraints and firm export: Microeconomic evidence from Italy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 109-125, March.
    46. Doan, Ngoc Thang, 2023. "Cultural proximity and global value chains," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 106-120.
    47. Levine, Ross & Lin, Chen & Xie, Wensi, 2018. "Corporate Resilience to Banking Crises: The Roles of Trust and Trade Credit," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 53(4), pages 1441-1477, August.
    48. Egger, Peter H. & Nigai, Sergey, 2015. "Structural gravity with dummies only: Constrained ANOVA-type estimation of gravity models," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(1), pages 86-99.
    49. Bowles, Samuel & Gintis, Herbert, 2004. "Persistent parochialism: trust and exclusion in ethnic networks," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 55(1), pages 1-23, September.
    50. Robert Koopman & William Powers & Zhi Wang & Shang-Jin Wei, 2010. "Give Credit Where Credit Is Due: Tracing Value Added in Global Production Chains," NBER Working Papers 16426, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    51. Doan Ngoc Thang & Le Thanh Ha & Hoang Phuong Dung & Trinh Quang Long, 2021. "On the relationship between rules of origin and global value chains," The Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(4), pages 549-573, May.
    52. Sangyeon Hwang & Hyejoon Im, 2017. "International Trade Finance and Exports: Evidence from Korean Bank-Intermediated Trade Finance Instruments," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 319-346, April.
    53. Robert C. Johnson & Guillermo Noguera, 2012. "Proximity and Production Fragmentation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(3), pages 407-411, May.
    54. Gereffi, Gary, 1999. "International trade and industrial upgrading in the apparel commodity chain," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 37-70, June.
    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. Choi, Moon Jung & Hwang, Sangyeon & Im, Hyejoon, 2022. "Cross-border trade credit and trade flows during the global financial crisis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 497-510.
    2. Doan, Ngoc Thang, 2023. "Cultural proximity and global value chains," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 106-120.
    3. Katharina Eck & Martina Engemann & Monika Schnitzer, 2015. "How trade credits foster exporting," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 151(1), pages 73-101, February.
    4. José Manuel Mansilla-Fernández & Juliette Milgram-Baleix, 2023. "Working capital management, financial constraints and exports: evidence from European and US manufacturers," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 1769-1810, April.
    5. Thang, Doan Ngoc & Ha, Le Thanh, 2022. "Trade credit and global value chain: Evidence from cross-country firm-level data," International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 110-129.
    6. Zeng, Shuai & Luo, Changyuan & Zhao, Laixun, 2023. "Destination trade credit and exports: Evidence from cross-country panel data," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    7. Alvaro Garcia-Marin & Santiago Justel & Tim Schmidt-Eisenlohr, 2019. "Trade Credit, Markups, and Relationships," CESifo Working Paper Series 7600, CESifo.
    8. Iacovone, Leonardo & Ferro, Esteban & Pereira-López, Mariana & Zavacka, Veronika, 2019. "Banking crises and exports: Lessons from the past," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 192-204.
    9. P. Beaumont, 2017. "Time is Money: Cash-Flow Risk and Export Market Behavior," Documents de Travail de l'Insee - INSEE Working Papers g2017-10, Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.
    10. Schmidt-Eisenlohr, Tim, 2013. "Towards a theory of trade finance," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 96-112.
    11. Federico J. Diez & Jesse Mora & Alan C. Spearot, 2016. "Firms in international trade," Working Papers 16-25, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    12. Demir, Banu & Javorcik, Beata, 2018. "Don’t throw in the towel, throw in trade credit!," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 177-189.
    13. Duc Bao Nguyen & Anne‐Gaël Vaubourg, 2021. "Financial intermediation, trade agreements and international trade," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(3), pages 788-817, March.
    14. Auboin, Marc & DiCaprio, Alisa, 2016. "Why do trade finance gaps persist: Does it matter for trade and development?," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2017-01, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    15. Jinjarak, Yothin, 2013. "Supply Chains and Credit-Market Shocks: Some Implications for Emerging Markets," ADBI Working Papers 443, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    16. Jiangtao FU & Petr MATOUS & Yasuyuki TODO, 2018. "Trade Credit in Global Supply Chains," Discussion papers 18049, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    17. Marc Auboin & Alisa DiCaprio, 2017. "Why Do Trade Finance Gaps Persist: Does it Matter for Trade and Development?," CESifo Working Paper Series 6425, CESifo.
    18. Andreas Hoefele & Tim Schmidt-Eisenlohr & Zhihong Yu, 2016. "Payment choice in international trade: Theory and evidence from cross-country firm-level data," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 49(1), pages 296-319, February.
    19. Arne J. Nagengast & Robert Stehrer, 2016. "The Great Collapse in Value Added Trade," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 392-421, May.
    20. Claessens, Stijn & van Horen, Neeltje, 2021. "Foreign banks and trade," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 45(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Trade credit; Global value chain; International trade; Gravity mode;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • F2 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business
    • F6 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization

    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:kap:iecepo:v:22:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10368-025-00653-z. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.