Does fintech facilitate enterprise outward foreign direct investment? Evidence from China

Abstract

We examine whether and how fintech affects OFDI decision making by using data on listed Chinese companies. We find that the development of regional fintech stimulates OFDI. This effect is more pronounced for firms without political connections, in the eastern region, with production-oriented OFDI and that are nonstate-owned. Fintech supports firms in carrying out OFDI through the mitigation of financing constraints and the promotion of technological innovation. We emphasize the role of technology-enabled financial innovation in the behavior of enterprise internationalization.