ESG Investment as a Trigger of China Digital Economy: Mechanism, Issues, and the Ant Group case

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-801-6_21How to use a DOI?

Keywords

ESG Investment; Digital Economy; Ant Group; Sustainable Finance; Platform Governance

Abstract

This paper examines how ESG investment can support the coordinated development of China’s digital economy industry, using Ant Group as a representative case. Existing studies have largely focused on the effect of digitalization on firm-level ESG performance, but fewer have discussed how ESG-oriented capital can influence the broader development path of the digital economy industry. To address this gap, this paper analyzes Ant Group’s business model, sustainability practices, and platform-based ecosystem. The analysis identifies three positive influences: improving growth quality through ESG-oriented capital discipline, strengthening ESG implementation through digital technology, and expanding social inclusion through platform-based services. At the same time, three major problems are identified: inconsistent ESG disclosure, governance and data-related risks, and uneven distribution of benefits along the industrial chain. Based on these findings, this paper proposes recommendations, including improving disclosure standards, strengthening governance mechanisms, and building a more inclusive ESG support system for small- and medium-sized digital firms. In conclusion, the study affirms that the synergy between ESG investment and the digital economy has significant potential to guide higher-quality growth. Realizing this potential, however, is contingent upon robust institutional frameworks, enhanced informational credibility, and broader inclusion across the digital industrial ecosystem.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yuyang Cai
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/23
TI  - ESG Investment as a Trigger of China Digital Economy: Mechanism, Issues, and the Ant Group case
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 2nd International Conference on Financial Innovation and Marketing Management (FIMM 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 182
EP  - 194
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-801-6_21
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-801-6_21
ID  - Cai2026
ER  -