TR
EN
Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure
Abstract
Aim: Green finance has been a growing trend as a financial instrument for promoting sustainability outcomes in the last two decades. Specifically, green finance services and products can promote SDGs of the companies as they bring about benefits for the environment and economy such as funding renewable energy, reducing emissions, and less contamination project investment. This study explores the effect of green finance on companies' economic and environmental sustainability performance, examining the primary and secondary stakeholder pressures as moderators due to its leverage effect on this relationship.
Method: The study investigates 82 Turkish firms in different industries, with quantitative methods. The collected data was used in regression analysis for direct hypothesis and moderation analysis conducted through Hayes’ PROCESS macro.
Results: The findings of the study reveals that green finance positively correlates with both environmental and economic performance of the firms; whereas primary stakeholders which are employees, customers and investors reinforce the relationship of green finance and economic sustainability. However, it was found that employee pressure, customer/investor pressures did not moderate the link of green-finance and environmental sustainability. In contrast, secondary stakeholder pressures that are media and NGOs were insignificant as a moderator in the relationship of green finance and firms economic and environmental sustainability performance.
Conclusion: This study reveals that green finance has an effective role to promote sustainable development whereas stakeholder pressure remains as prominent factor for green finance strategy.
Keywords
Supporting Institution
İstanbul Kent Üniversitesi
Ethical Statement
With the decision numbered 2025/05 of the Ethics Committee of Social and Human Sciences at Istanbul Kent University, the study was approved as ethically appropriate.
References
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- BAYTÖREN, E. (2018). Yeşil finansman. In D. USLU (Ed.), Yeşil işletme: Green business (pp. 99–108). Nobel Yayıncılık.
- CHIN, M. Y., ONG, S. L., OOI, D. B. Y., & PUAH, C. H. (2024). The impact of green finance on environmental degradation in BRI region. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 26(1), 303–318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02709-5
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Environment and Climate Finance
Journal Section
Research Article
Early Pub Date
December 26, 2025
Publication Date
February 8, 2026
Submission Date
September 27, 2025
Acceptance Date
December 22, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 12 Number: 3
APA
Bal Külahi, E., & Karibek, M. (2026). Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences, 12(3), 1343-1356. https://doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.1792228
AMA
1.Bal Külahi E, Karibek M. Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure. IGUJSS. 2026;12(3):1343-1356. doi:10.17336/igusbd.1792228
Chicago
Bal Külahi, Esra, and Milana Karibek. 2026. “Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences 12 (3): 1343-56. https://doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.1792228.
EndNote
Bal Külahi E, Karibek M (February 1, 2026) Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences 12 3 1343–1356.
IEEE
[1]E. Bal Külahi and M. Karibek, “Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure”, IGUJSS, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 1343–1356, Feb. 2026, doi: 10.17336/igusbd.1792228.
ISNAD
Bal Külahi, Esra - Karibek, Milana. “Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences 12/3 (February 1, 2026): 1343-1356. https://doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.1792228.
JAMA
1.Bal Külahi E, Karibek M. Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure. IGUJSS. 2026;12:1343–1356.
MLA
Bal Külahi, Esra, and Milana Karibek. “Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure”. Istanbul Gelisim University Journal of Social Sciences, vol. 12, no. 3, Feb. 2026, pp. 1343-56, doi:10.17336/igusbd.1792228.
Vancouver
1.Esra Bal Külahi, Milana Karibek. Green Finance and Sustainability Performance: The Moderating Role of Stakeholder Pressure. IGUJSS. 2026 Feb. 1;12(3):1343-56. doi:10.17336/igusbd.1792228