IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v12y2025i1d10.1057_s41599-025-04699-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of digital inclusive finance on enterprise digital technology innovation: empirical evidence from the Chinese manufacturing industry

Author

Listed:
  • Hongcheng Ling

    (Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics)

  • Xiaohong Ling

    (Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics)

Abstract

Enterprise digital technology innovation plays a crucial role in China’s scientific and technological revolution as well as industrial transformation, with digital inclusive finance emerging as a significant catalyst for such innovation and providing robust support for the stable development of the real economy. This study innovatively employs the GLM3 large language model and the BERT model to identify digital technology patents. Based on data from 3313 Chinese A-share manufacturing listed companies from 2011 to 2022, this research investigates the influence pathways and mechanisms through which digital inclusive finance impacts enterprise digital technology innovation. The findings indicate that digital inclusive finance positively drives enterprise digital technological innovation. Expanding the coverage of digital financial services is key to effectively enhancing enterprises’ digital innovation capabilities. Digital inclusive finance significantly boosts enterprise digital technological innovation by alleviating financing constraints and increasing R&D investment. The financial background of executives moderates this relationship negatively, while the intensity of financial regulation exhibits an inverted U-shaped moderating effect on the relationship between digital inclusive finance and enterprise digital technological innovation. The incentive effect of digital inclusive finance on enterprise digital technology innovation is more pronounced in central and western regions and non-state-owned enterprises. This paper proposes a new incentive mechanism to enhance the digital technology innovation capability of manufacturing enterprises, suggesting that relevant departments should accelerate the transformation of the financial regulatory system, construct a targeted, timely, and penetrating regulatory technology system, and effectively guide digital inclusive finance to inject new momentum into the development of enterprise digital technology innovation while preventing and resolving systemic risks.

Suggested Citation

  • Hongcheng Ling & Xiaohong Ling, 2025. "The impact of digital inclusive finance on enterprise digital technology innovation: empirical evidence from the Chinese manufacturing industry," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-04699-x
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-025-04699-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-025-04699-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-025-04699-x?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. Liao, Hongji & Zhang, Jiarui & Gong, Runze & Zhang, Wen, 2025. "The mitigating effect of digital inclusive finance development on urban environmental pollution: Insights from innovation capacity and financing constraints," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    2. Li, Ming & Kong, Lingyao, 2024. "Executives with financial backgrounds and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    3. Qi, Songqiao & Sun, Tianmin, 2024. "Resource curse in OPEC with varied levels of financial regulations and constraints: The role of oil price shocks and digital finance," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    4. Peng, Nianjiao & Wen, Manhong & Tian, Xiujuan & Wu, Xiaxue, 2024. "The impact of digital finance on firm's inefficient investment: Evidence from Chinese A-share listed companies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).
    5. Fu, Hengni & Zheng, Chengsi & Yang, PingYu, 2024. "Digital inclusive finance and green transformation of manufacturing enterprises: Empirical analysis based on the dual perspectives of demand and supply," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    6. Yao, Xiaolin & Long, Huizhen, 2024. "Financial policy competition neutrality and cost of financing–An empirical study based on A-share listed companies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    7. Bu, Ya & Du, Xin & Wang, Yuting & Liu, Shuyu & Tang, Min & Li, Hui, 2024. "Digital inclusive finance: A lever for SME financing?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    8. Agha, Mahmoud & Pramathevan, Shivani, 2023. "Executive gender, age, and corporate financial decisions and performance: The role of overconfidence," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    9. Liu, Baohua & Zhou, Wei & Chan, Kam C. & Chen, Yining, 2020. "Corporate executives with financial backgrounds: The crowding-out effect on innovation investment and outcomes," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 161-173.
    10. Wang, Jing, 2023. "Digital inclusive finance and rural revitalization," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    11. Guo, Xingfang & Wei, Tao & Wang, Aiping & Hu, Haifeng, 2024. "Corporate governance effects of digital finance: Evidence from corporate tax avoidance in China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(PA).
    12. Wu, Jianhong, 2020. "A joint test for serial correlation and heteroscedasticity in fixed-T panel regression models with interactive effects," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    13. Shang, Xiaoye & Liu, Qiong, 2024. "Digital inclusive finance and regional economic resilience: Evidence from China's 283 Cities over 2011-2021," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PA).
    14. Zheng, Xiaodong & Wang, Yinglin & Wu, Qi & Zhou, Yanran, 2024. "Digital inclusive finance and migrant wages: Evidence from over 700,000 internal migrants in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    15. Ren, Yi-Shuai & Ma, Chaoqun & Wang, Yiran, 2024. "A new financial regulatory framework for digital finance: Inspired by CBDC," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    16. Guo, Bingnan & Feng, Yu & Lin, Ji, 2023. "Digital inclusive finance and digital transformation of enterprises," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    17. Ayaz, Muhammad & Anwer, Zaheer & Hassan, M. Kabir & Xiaoyang, Xu, 2025. "Inhabiting influence of digital finance on stock price synchronicity," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    18. Gu, Leilei, 2023. "Executives’ financial experience and myopic marketing management: A myopic loss-aversion perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    19. Zhou, Xianbo & Sun, Yucheng & Tao, Ying, 2023. "Does Digital Finance Upgrade Trickle-down consumption effect in China?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    20. Sun, Yang & Tang, Xinwei, 2022. "The impact of digital inclusive finance on sustainable economic growth in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    21. Li, Wenyi & Yang, Zhen & Wang, Wenna, 2025. "The asymmetric effects of digital inclusive finance’s breadth and depth on the digital transformation of agribusinesses," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    22. Tang, Ye & Geng, Baiyang, 2024. "Digital finance development level and corporate debt financing cost," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    23. Bai, Rui & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "Green finance and green innovation: Theoretical analysis based on game theory and empirical evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 89(PA), pages 760-774.
    24. Xuan, Siyuan & Ge, Wenfeng & Yang, Ping & Zhang, Yunfeng, 2024. "Exploring digital finance, financial regulations and carbon emission nexus: New insight from resources efficiency, industrial structure and green innovation in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    25. Liu, Yang & Luan, Lin & Wu, Weilong & Zhang, Zhiqiang & Hsu, Yen, 2021. "Can digital financial inclusion promote China's economic growth?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    26. Jiao, Yong & Wang, Gaofei & Li, Chengyou & Pan, Jia, 2024. "Digital inclusive finance, factor flow and industrial structure upgrading: Evidence from the yellow river basin," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    27. Sun, Liming & Shen, Juanjuan & Zhai, Jun & Lu, Feixiang & Zhang, Xue & Liu, Aichun & Guan, Haoyuan, 2024. "Business environment, financing constraints and enterprise innovation investment," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    28. Yanru Li & Guanglin Sun & Qiang Gao & Changming Cheng, 2023. "Digital Financial Inclusion, Financial Efficiency and Green Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-13, January.
    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. Pham Quang Huy & Vu Kien Phuc, 2025. "Changing times: does the critical success factors boosting green transition of SMEs remain unchanged?," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 1-32, December.
    2. Ai, Hongshan & Xiang, Lin & Tan, Xiaoqing & Yao, Haorui & Han, Li, 2024. "The effects of place-based information technology policy on digital finance development: Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 521-544.
    3. Yang, Jinxuan & Hui, Ning, 2024. "How digital finance affects the sustainability of corporate green innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    4. Li, Meng & Wang, Zhengqi & Shu, Linhan & Gao, Haoyu, 2025. "Broadband infrastructure and enterprise digital transformation: Evidence from China," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PB).
    5. Xie, Chunyu & Ye, Linlin & Zhong, Nan & Wan, Wenjun, 2024. "Impact of digital finance on corporate green innovation: Exploring role of land resource misallocation in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    6. Shi, Hongyu & Zhou, Qun, 2024. "Government R&D Subsidies, Environmental regulation and corporate green innovation performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PB).
    7. Wei, Xiaobei & Yang, Zongpu & Yan, Yongjun & Sun, Jia, 2024. "Rural E-commerce, Digital finance, and urban–rural common prosperity: A Quasi-natural Experiment Based on China's Comprehensive Demonstration of E-commerce Entering Rural Areas Policy," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 69(PB).
    8. Shuhao Zhang & Xuetong Li & Daqian Shi, 2025. "How does digital finance affect energy consumption in China? Empirical evidence from China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 10719-10735, May.
    9. Cheng Li & Yewen Wang, 2024. "Digital transformation and enterprise resilience: Enabling or burdening?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(7), pages 1-23, July.
    10. Zhao, Ruizeng & An, Yuchen & Tu, Hanyun & Song, Jiashan, 2024. "China's economic growth and low-carbon development under the background of resource curse: A new perspective based on digital finance," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 96(PA).
    11. Guo, Bingnan & Hu, Peiji & Lin, Ji, 2024. "The effect of digital infrastructure development on enterprise green transformation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    12. Feng, Ruonan & Ma, Lu & Wu, Dan, 2025. "ESG performance and corporate innovation under the moderating effect of firm size," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    13. Zhang, Ge & Guo, Bingnan & Lin, Ji, 2023. "The impact of green finance on enterprise investment and financing," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PD).
    14. Wei, Feiqiong & Xie, Baiwei & Chen, Mingyan, 2025. "Digital financial inclusion, e-commerce development and entrepreneurial activity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    15. Zhao, Qiao & Wang, Wangqing, 2024. "Impact of digital financial tools on intermediate goods: Synergies between external funding and internal R&D investment," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PB).
    16. Li, Pingrui & Zhao, Xu, 2024. "The impact of digital transformation on corporate supply chain management: Evidence from listed companies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    17. Yanzhao Li & Ju-e Guo & Wenjun Zhu, 2024. "Digital financial inclusion and domestic tourism demand: Through the lens of spatial spillover," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(7), pages 1680-1703, November.
    18. Umar, Muhammad, 2025. "Does CBDC launch increase tax collection? empirical evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    19. Lin, Baoguo & Dong, Xueqin, 2024. "Empirical Study on the Impact of Digital Finance on Commercial Credit Allocation in SMEs," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    20. Jianwei Gao & Yuxin Wu & Haiwei Li, 2024. "Digital Inclusive Finance, Rural Loan Availability, and Urban–Rural Income Gap: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-25, November.

    More about this item

    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:pal:palcom:v:12:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-025-04699-x. 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: https://www.nature.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.