Dual Impact of Green Financing and Financial Technology on Energy Efficiency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62270/jirms.v5i3.83Keywords:
Financial technology, Green financing, Energy efficientyAbstract
Purpose - The analysis evaluates financial technology (Fin-Tech) and green financing effects on energy efficiency in Pakistan while emphasizing their role in developing sustainable growth. The research investigates digital inclusion in finance as well as green bonds and climate-oriented financial tools because of their growing importance in sustainable investments and technological advancements.
Study Design/methodology/approach - The analysis relies on time-series data spanning from 2001 until 2023, which researchers obtained from World Development Indicators (WDI). A combination of unit root analysis and correlation analysis, together with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, serves to evaluate the relationship between Fin-Tech adoption and green financing mechanisms with their effects on energy efficiency. Research data indicates that technological innovations in the financial sector, along with digital payments and blockchain systems, produce major improvements in energy efficiency. The energy-efficient infrastructure and clean energy projects benefit from green financing tools, which include green bonds and sustainable investment funds.
Findings - Results from regression analysis show that financial technology development creates positive changes in energy efficiency levels. The energy-efficient financing market has expanded because of financial technology innovations, which include electronic banking systems, blockchain transaction mechanisms, and peer-to-peer credit services. The research supports the Innovation Diffusion Theory because innovation adoption drives financial behavioral changes across all sectors.
Research Practical Implications - The analysis faces restrictiveness due to the availability of definitive indicators tailored for Fin-Tech, which hampers potential wide-scale explanation. The research includes only Pakistan, therefore, additional studies must focus on various emerging market contexts. Assessing the Role of Digital Currencies in Green Finance Granting central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and green cryptocurrencies has increased, so research must evaluate their capacity to support low-carbon investments and enhance energy efficiency projects.
Originality/value - The existing literature gains new empirical evidence regarding how Fin-Tech functions together with green financing to enhance energy efficiency through this research. The research connects financial innovation with environmental sustainability while supplying significant directions for developing future sustainable development plans.
References
Ahlström, H., & Monciardini, D. (2022). The regulatory dynamics of sustainable finance: Paradoxical success and limitations of EU reforms. Journal of Business Ethics, 177(1), 193-212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04763-x
Ali, I., Nguyen, N. D. K., & Arslan, A. (2023). Socially responsible consumption of information technology equipment: case studies from the Australian banking sector. In Dealing with socially responsible consumers: studies in marketing (pp. 509-530). Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4457-4_27
Alquliti, Y. (2022). The impact of fintech, green finance, and financial inclusion on energy efficiency and sustainability in GCC countries Effat University].
Anh Tu, C., & Rasoulinezhad, E. (2022). Energy efficiency financing and the role of green bond: policies for post-Covid period. China Finance Review International, 12(2), 203-218. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CFRI-03-2021-0052
Arner, D. W., Buckley, R. P., Zetzsche, D. A., & Veidt, R. (2020). Sustainability, FinTech and financial inclusion. European Business Organization Law Review, 21, 7-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40804-020-00183-y
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of management, 17(1), 99-120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
Bashir, Z., Iqbal, M. S., Aamir, M., & Usman, M. (2025). Investor’s priority towards the sustainable environment: evidence from Pakistan. International Journal of Social Economics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSE-10-2023-0791
Caldecott, B. (2022). Defining transition finance and embedding it in the post-Covid-19 recovery. Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, 12(3), 934-938. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20430795.2020.1813478
Carbonara, N., & Pellegrino, R. (2018). Public-private partnerships for energy efficiency projects: A win-win model to choose the energy performance contracting structure. Journal of cleaner production, 170, 1064-1075. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.151
Chen, Y., Yang, Z., Liu, B., Wang, D., Xiao, Y., & Wang, A. (2023). How cultural intelligence affects expatriate effectiveness in international construction projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print ), 1-19.
Chen, Y., Yang, Z., Liu, B., Wang, D., Xiao, Y., & Wang, A. (2024). How cultural intelligence affects expatriate effectiveness in international construction projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 31(4), 1696-1714. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-03-2022-0247
Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic Management. A Stakeholder Approach. Pitman.
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European business review, 31(1), 2-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Huang, H., & Yang, Q. (2023). FinTech Promotes the Development of Green Finance. International Conference on Economic Management and Green Development, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-0523-8_82
Hussain, T., & Zhang, Y. (2023). The influences of cross-cultural adjustment and motivation on self-initiated expatriates' innovative work behavior. Personnel Review, 52(4), 1255-1272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-05-2021-0320
Jeng, C.-C. (2023). Why a variance inflation factor of 10 is not an ideal cutoff for multicollinearity diagnostics. Journal of Education Studies, 57(2), 67-93.
Kashif, M., Pinglu, C., Ullah, A., & Qian, N. (2025). The impact of green finance and FinTech mechanisms on financial stability: evidence from advanced and emerging economies. China Finance Review International, 1-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CFRI-07-2024-0393
Khan, N. S., Kazmi, S. A. A., Anwar, M., Mughal, S. U. R., Ullah, K., Rathi, M. K., & Salal, A. (2024). Enhancing Renewable Energy Integration in Developing Countries: A Policy-Oriented Analysis of Net Metering in Pakistan Amid Economic Challenges. Sustainability, 16(14), 6034. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146034
Kim, H. H., & Swanson, N. R. (2014). Forecasting financial and macroeconomic variables using data reduction methods: New empirical evidence. Journal of Econometrics, 178, 352-367. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2013.08.033
Lau, L.-S., Choong, C.-K., & Eng, Y.-K. (2014). Investigation of the environmental Kuznets curve for carbon emissions in Malaysia: do foreign direct investment and trade matter? Energy policy, 68, 490-497. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.01.002
Obobisa, E. S., Chen, H., & Mensah, I. A. (2022). The impact of green technological innovation and institutional quality on CO2 emissions in African countries. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 180, 121670.
Obobisa, E. S., Chen, H., & Mensah, I. A. (2020). The impact of greentechnological innovation and institutional quality on CO2 emissions in African countries. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 180, 121670–121787. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121670
Okere, K. I., Dimnwobi, S. K., & Fasanya, I. O. (2025). Pathways to environmental sustainability: exploring the role of FinTech, natural resources and globalization in North Africa. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2025.2481222
Puschmann, T., Hoffmann, C. H., & Khmarskyi, V. (2020). How green FinTech can alleviate the impact of climate change—the case of Switzerland. Sustainability, 12(24), 10691. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410691
Rjoub, H., Adebayo, T. S., & Kirikkaleli, D. (2023). Blockchain technology-based FinTech banking sector involvement using adaptive neuro-fuzzy-based K-nearest neighbors algorithm. Financial innovation, 9(1), 65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-023-00469-3
Rogers, E. (2003). Diffusion of innovations, 5th edn Tampa. FL: Free Press.[Google Scholar].
Shahbaz, M., Raghutla, C., Song, M., Zameer, H., & Jiao, Z. (2020). Public-private partnerships investment in energy as new determinant of CO2 emissions: . The role of technological innovations in China. Energy Economics,. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2020.104664
Sineviciene, L., Sotnyk, I., & Kubatko, O. (2017). Determinants of energy efficiency and energy consumption of Eastern Europe post-communist economies. Energy & Environment, 28(8), 870-884. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0958305X17734386
Smith, K. (2023). Climate risk disclosure and risk sharing in financial markets. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4552385
Song, W., & Han, X. (2022). A bilateral decomposition analysis of the impacts of environmental regulation on energy efficiency in China from 2006 to 2018. Energy Strategy Reviews, 43, 100931. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esr.2022.100931
Taghizadeh-Hesary, F., Rasoulinezhad, E., & Yoshino, N. (2019). Energy and food security: Linkages through price volatility. Energy policy, 128, 796-806. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.12.043
Tolliver, C., Fujii, H., Keeley, A. R., & Managi, S. (2021). Green innovation and finance in Asia. Asian Economic Policy Review, 16(1), 67-87. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aepr.12320
Udeagha, M. C., & Ngepah, N. (2022). Disaggregating the environmental effects of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption in South Africa: fresh evidence from the novel dynamic ARDL simulations approach. Economic Change and Restructuring, 55(3), 1767-1814. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10644-021-09368-y
UNEP. (2023). ESG Disclosure Report 2023. https://www.unepfi.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ESG-Disclosure-Report-2023.pdf
Wang, H., Ren, Y., & Liu, W. (2023). A weekly diary study on playful study design, study engagement, and goal attainment: The role of proactive personality. Journal of Happiness Studies, 24(1), 159-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-022-00593-4
Wang, H., & Wang, M. (2020). Effects of technological innovation on energy efficiency in China: Evidence from dynamic panel of 284 cities. Science of the total environment, 709, 136172. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136172
Wen, J., Ali, W., Hussain, J., Khan, N. A., Hussain, H., Ali, N., & Akhtar, R. (2022). Dynamics between green innovation and environmental quality: new insights into South Asian economies. Economia Politica, 39(2), 543-565. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40888-021-00248-2
Wen, Y., Onwe, J. C., Haseeb, M., Saini, S., Matuka, A., & Sahoo, D. (2022). Role of technological innovation, renewable and non-renewable energy, and economic growth on environmental quality. Evidence from African countries. Frontiers in Energy Research, 10, 958839–958850. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2022.958839
Wijeweera, K. R., & Rashid, H. (2023). Greening the Financial System of Pakistan. United Nations Development Program Pakistan). https://www. undp. org/sites/g/files/zskgke, 326, 2023-2008.
Zhang, Chu, Z., Ren, L., & Xing, J. (2023). Open innovation and sustainable competitive advantage: The role of organizational learning. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 186, 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122114
Zhang, L., & Chen, X. (2023). Fintech Adoption and Energy Efficiency: A Global Perspective. . Sustainability Journal.
Downloads
Published
Data Availability Statement
Data that supports the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Sadaf Ambreen; Tahira Awan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work’s authorship and initial publication in this journal.


