Intelligent Transformation: The Invisible Shield Against Corporate Credit Risk

In the context of a progressively intricate and uncertain global economic landscape, the credit risk businesses encounter is intensifying. This study seeks to analyze whether intelligent transformation, a significant trend in current organization development, might serve as a novel method for mitigating credit risk. We employ panel data from 1533 listed enterprises in China’s manufacturing sector to investigate how intelligent transformation influences credit risk empirically. This research indicates that intelligent transformation can mitigate business credit risk. The production, management, and financing effects are the primary mechanisms via which intelligent transformation mitigates credit risk. Heterogeneity analysis indicated that the credit risk reduction effect of the intelligent transformation of traditional manufacturing firms surpassed that of intelligent manufacturing enterprises. In contrast to high-growth firms, low-growth enterprises exhibited more robust credit risk mitigation benefits from intelligent transformation. Subsequent analysis indicated that enhancing supply chain finance can facilitate intelligent transformation and, hence, more effectively mitigate credit risk.