Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from China

Using a sample of Chinese listed firms over 2011–2020, this study examines the impact of digital finance on accounting information transparency. Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between digital finance and accounting information transparency, suggesting that digital finance with...

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Main Authors: Xingqiang Du, Jing Hong, Hexin Tao, Yongkui Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-04-01
Series:China Journal of Accounting Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21697213.2024.2347234
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author Xingqiang Du
Jing Hong
Hexin Tao
Yongkui Zhang
author_facet Xingqiang Du
Jing Hong
Hexin Tao
Yongkui Zhang
author_sort Xingqiang Du
collection DOAJ
description Using a sample of Chinese listed firms over 2011–2020, this study examines the impact of digital finance on accounting information transparency. Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between digital finance and accounting information transparency, suggesting that digital finance within certain limits increases accounting information transparency by optimising information acquisition and processing, but excessive digital finance leads to information overload and impairs accounting information transparency. Our findings are robust to a variety of sensitivity tests and are still valid after using two-stage “shift-share” instrumental variable procedures, propensity score matching method and firm-level fixed effect regression to control for the endogeneity issue. Lastly, MD&A and annual reporting disclosure timeliness are two influential channels by which digital finance affects accounting information transparency, and further the inverted U-shaped relationship is more pronounced for firms in provinces with lower marketisation indexes (CEO-chairman duality) than for their counterparts.
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series China Journal of Accounting Studies
spelling doaj-art-362ba45df09d416eb7ea4e49ac59d66f2025-08-20T02:58:46ZengTaylor & Francis GroupChina Journal of Accounting Studies2169-72132169-72212024-04-0112227631010.1080/21697213.2024.2347234Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from ChinaXingqiang Du0Jing Hong1Hexin Tao2Yongkui Zhang3Center for Accounting Studies, Xiamen University, Xiamen, ChinaAccounting Department, Xiamen University, Xiamen, ChinaAccounting Department, Xiamen University, Xiamen, ChinaAccounting Department, Xiamen University, Xiamen, ChinaUsing a sample of Chinese listed firms over 2011–2020, this study examines the impact of digital finance on accounting information transparency. Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between digital finance and accounting information transparency, suggesting that digital finance within certain limits increases accounting information transparency by optimising information acquisition and processing, but excessive digital finance leads to information overload and impairs accounting information transparency. Our findings are robust to a variety of sensitivity tests and are still valid after using two-stage “shift-share” instrumental variable procedures, propensity score matching method and firm-level fixed effect regression to control for the endogeneity issue. Lastly, MD&A and annual reporting disclosure timeliness are two influential channels by which digital finance affects accounting information transparency, and further the inverted U-shaped relationship is more pronounced for firms in provinces with lower marketisation indexes (CEO-chairman duality) than for their counterparts.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21697213.2024.2347234Digital financeaccounting information transparencythe inverted U-shaped relationshipinformation overload
spellingShingle Xingqiang Du
Jing Hong
Hexin Tao
Yongkui Zhang
Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from China
China Journal of Accounting Studies
Digital finance
accounting information transparency
the inverted U-shaped relationship
information overload
title Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from China
title_full Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from China
title_fullStr Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from China
title_full_unstemmed Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from China
title_short Is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency? Evidence from China
title_sort is digital finance always beneficial to accounting information transparency evidence from china
topic Digital finance
accounting information transparency
the inverted U-shaped relationship
information overload
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/21697213.2024.2347234
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