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Green innovation is important and beneficial for the green development of enterprises. The development of digital technology could improve the asymmetry of information and affect the enterprise's financing modes. Currently, a definitive conclusion about the relationship between the digital transformation and green technology innovation has not reached. Additionally, studies have not yet fully explored the impact pathways of corporate digital transformation on green innovation through corporate financing modes. To fill this void, this study collected data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2020. The empirical analysis results showed that digital transformation significantly enhanced enterprises' green innovation abilities. Furthermore, mediating models were utilized to explore how enterprise financing modes mediate the impact of digital transformation on the enterprise green innovation. Results indicated that through internal financing and bank loans as "bridges", digital transformation promoted enterprise green innovation. However, digital transformation did not have a significant impact on enterprise green innovation through venture capital. Moreover, heterogeneity analyses revealed significant differences among different groups of enterprises. This study expands the research field related to digital transformation and enterprise green innovation by providing empirical evidence to uncover the impact of digital transformation on enterprise green innovation. Findings of this study contribute not only to enterprise managerial decision-makers to better leverage digital transformation through corporate financing to accelerate green innovation, but also to government policymakers to design policies to stimulate enterprise green innovation. • Firstly, our paper empirically examines and validates the impact of digital transformation on enterprise green innovation again by using empirical data of biggest development counties, i.e., China. • Secondly, our paper combines enterprise digital transformation, financing modes, and green innovation within the same framework to study the "bridge" role of financing modes between digital transformation and enterprise green innovation. • Thirdly, Thirdly, heterogeneity analyses were carried out, the results of the different enterprises groups are significant different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation activities of enterprises often fall into the dilemma of financing constraints. Hence, it is urgent that the financial system develops and becomes innovative, especially for a developing country like China. Existing literature mainly explores the influencing factors of green innovation from the environmental regulation, economic growth and government subsidies perspective. However, few papers critically study how digital finance influences green innovations. To explore the internal influencing mechanism of digital finance on the quantity and quality of green technology innovation, panel data of 271 prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2019 in China is used. Based on theoretical analysis and empirical research, we get the following conclusions. First, digital finance can improve the quantity and quality of green technological innovation, which has become a significant driving force for green innovations in China. The results are still robust after the endogeneity tests. Second, the results of heterogeneous analysis indicate that the different dimensions of digital finance can improve green innovations. They include breadth of coverage, depth of use, and degree of digitization. The positive effect of digital finance is most substantial in eastern cities, followed by central cities, and weakest in western cities. Third, digital finance indirectly improves green innovation mainly by alleviating financing constraints. Our empirical results provide policy enlightenment for realizing the coordination of China's urban digital transformation and green economic development. • The effect of digital finance on the quantity and quality of green innovation is explored based on the actual background in China. • Digital finance has become a significant driving force for green innovation in China. • The different dimensions of digital finance can improve green innovations. • Digital finance plays a positive role in green technology innovation mainly by alleviating financing constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]