Mapping the Impact of Green Finance on Corporate Sustainability: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the impact of green finance on corporate sustainability during the period 2015-2024. The study utilizes the systematic literature review approach based on 120 articles published during the above-mentioned period. These articles were obtained from the Scopus database which include themes regarding green finance and corporate sustainability. Bibliometric analysis was used to determine the intellectual evolution of thought in these articles, while their citation patterns were mapped using VOS Viewer software. The theme of green finance exhibited a significantly positive impact on digital finance mechanisms, policies, and programs, making it instrumental in promoting corporate sustainability. Specifically, it was established that firms utilizing green finance are more likely to invest in energy efficiency and other environmentally friendly technologies and also employ sustainable practices. Some other factors were found to stand in the way of consistent performance, such as financial constraints and regional differences. However, policy calibration is a highly promising way of averting such limitations. In this regard, policymakers and researchers need to develop effective green financing policies. They also need to ascertain the nature of the market and environmental problems they seek to solve. Businesses that have to take strategic investment decisions informed that green finance has a consistently positive impact on corporate sustainability, showing a better environmental performance that ensures sustainability and competitiveness for an extended period of time. Moreover, investors and fund managers need to consider green finance, since the existing evidence suggests that it would have positive outcomes and would bolster sustainability patterns. This study synthesizes the literature on green finance in corporate sustainability and provides extensive evidence regarding the issue, as well as some important implications and future research directions. It also provides important lessons and implications of green finance among developing countries, especially in China.