Green Credit Policy and Corporate Cash Holdings: Evidence from China
Accounting and Finance, forthcoming
50 Pages Posted: 7 Mar 2022 Last revised: 2 Nov 2022
Date Written: January 10, 2022
Abstract
In 2012, China implemented a green credit policy (GCP) that restricts bank credits to heavily polluting firms. Using a difference-in-differences research design, we find that polluting firms increase their cash reserves by 9.5% after the GCP’s issuance relative to non-polluting firms. We also document that the GCP significantly reduces firms’ access to bank finance but increases the value of cash. Cross-sectional analysis shows that the increase in cash holdings is more significant for firms with greater financial constraints, firms with more investment opportunities, and high-tech companies. Overall, our findings are consistent with a constraint explanation: When external financing is restricted, firms retain more cash to meet future investment needs.
Keywords: cash holding; China; financial constraint; green credit policy
JEL Classification: G31; G32; G38
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation