Bridging ESG and FinTech: A Technological Approach to Carbon Performance
We examine the association between ESG disclosure, FinTech adoption, and carbon performance in firms operating in energy‐intensive industries within BRICS countries. Drawing on multiple theoretical frameworks, our empirical models employ firm fixed‐effects estimators to analyze an unbalanced panel d...
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| Published in | Business strategy and the environment |
|---|---|
| Main Authors | , , , |
| Format | Journal Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
12.08.2025
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| Online Access | Get full text |
| ISSN | 0964-4733 1099-0836 |
| DOI | 10.1002/bse.70122 |
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| Abstract | We examine the association between ESG disclosure, FinTech adoption, and carbon performance in firms operating in energy‐intensive industries within BRICS countries. Drawing on multiple theoretical frameworks, our empirical models employ firm fixed‐effects estimators to analyze an unbalanced panel dataset comprising 2226 firm‐year observations spanning 14 years. Our findings are three‐fold. First, our primary evidence reveals that both ESG disclosure and FinTech adoption have a statistically significant positive relationship with carbon performance. Second, we provide robust evidence that FinTech enhances the effectiveness of ESG disclosure by improving transparency, reducing information asymmetry, and facilitating access to green financial resources. Third, we find that carbon tax policies moderate these relationships, with firms in high‐regulation environments experiencing stronger positive effects. Overall, our results suggest that FinTech acts as an enabler, amplifying the impact of ESG practices on corporate carbon performance. Our findings are robust to various control mechanisms, alternative measures, and potential endogeneities. These results have implications for policymakers and corporate decision‐makers seeking to integrate FinTech into ESG frameworks, as well as for advancing country‐specific and regional approaches to climate change mitigation. |
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| AbstractList | We examine the association between ESG disclosure, FinTech adoption, and carbon performance in firms operating in energy‐intensive industries within BRICS countries. Drawing on multiple theoretical frameworks, our empirical models employ firm fixed‐effects estimators to analyze an unbalanced panel dataset comprising 2226 firm‐year observations spanning 14 years. Our findings are three‐fold. First, our primary evidence reveals that both ESG disclosure and FinTech adoption have a statistically significant positive relationship with carbon performance. Second, we provide robust evidence that FinTech enhances the effectiveness of ESG disclosure by improving transparency, reducing information asymmetry, and facilitating access to green financial resources. Third, we find that carbon tax policies moderate these relationships, with firms in high‐regulation environments experiencing stronger positive effects. Overall, our results suggest that FinTech acts as an enabler, amplifying the impact of ESG practices on corporate carbon performance. Our findings are robust to various control mechanisms, alternative measures, and potential endogeneities. These results have implications for policymakers and corporate decision‐makers seeking to integrate FinTech into ESG frameworks, as well as for advancing country‐specific and regional approaches to climate change mitigation. |
| Author | Mousavi, Mohammad Mahdi Albert, Acheampong Owusu, Freeman Brobbey Ibeji, Ngozi |
| Author_xml | – sequence: 1 givenname: Acheampong orcidid: 0000-0002-9489-5751 surname: Albert fullname: Albert, Acheampong organization: Nottingham Business School Nottingham Trent University Nottingham UK – sequence: 2 givenname: Mohammad Mahdi orcidid: 0000-0001-9721-5072 surname: Mousavi fullname: Mousavi, Mohammad Mahdi organization: School of Management University of Bradford Bradford UK – sequence: 3 givenname: Ngozi surname: Ibeji fullname: Ibeji, Ngozi organization: Accounting and Finance Department University of Northampton Northampton UK – sequence: 4 givenname: Freeman Brobbey surname: Owusu fullname: Owusu, Freeman Brobbey organization: Accounting and Finance Loughborough University Loughborough UK |
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