Xiaohui Xu, Meiqi Xie, Xiaohua Chen, Xiaomin Yin
Abstract This study examines the role of digital finance in shaping the dynamic longevity of firms' export activities, with a particular focus on whether the development of digital finance prolongs export duration within a heterogeneous firm framework. Using panel data on Chinese A‐share listed firms from 2011 to 2016, we first document that export spells are generally short‐lived, a pattern consistent with the stylized facts reported in the existing literature. Our baseline results indicate that digital finance significantly extends export duration, and this finding remains robust across a wide range of alternative specifications. Mechanism analyses based on a two‐stage least squares (2SLS) strategy further suggest that digital finance prolongs export survival primarily by alleviating recurrent liquidity constraints and mitigating cross‐border trade risks. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the positive effect of digital finance on export longevity is more pronounced among smaller‐scale listed companies, firms located in China's economically developed eastern region, and firms engaged in the production of intermediate goods.